The Sorcerer's Companion: A Guide to the Magical World of Harry Potter, Third Edition

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Delve into the spellbinding world of Harry Potter with this comprehensive guide to the magic, mythology, and history of the seven-volume series.

Who was the real Nicholas Flamel? How did the Sorcerer’s Stone get its power? Did J. K. Rowling dream up the terrifying basilisk, the seductive veela, or the vicious grindylow? And if she didn’t, who did?

Millions of readers around the world have been enchanted by the magical world of wizardry, spells, and mythical beasts inhabited by Harry Potter and his friends. But what most readers don’t know is that there is a centuries-old trove of true history, folklore, and mythology behind Harry’s fantastic universe. With The Sorcerer’s Companion, those without access to the Hogwarts Library can school themselves in the fascinating reality behind J. K. Rowling’s world of magic.

The Sorcerer’s Companion allows curious readers to look up anything magical from all seven Harry Potter books and discover a wealth of entertaining information. Wands and wizards, boggarts and broomsticks, hippogriffs and horcruxes, all have astonishing histories rooted in legend, literature, or real-life events dating back hundreds or even thousands of years. Magic wands like those sold in Diagon Alley were once fashioned by Druid sorcerers. Love potions were first brewed in ancient Greece and Egypt. And books of spells and curses were highly prized during the Middle Ages. From amulets to zombies, you’ll learn:

• How to read tea leaves
• Where to find a basilisk today
• Why owls were feared in the ancient world
• How to do arithmancy
• Who wore the first invisibility cloak
• How to safely handle mandrake root
• The origins of our modern-day “bogeyman”
• And much more!

A fascinating tour of Harry Potter’s captivating world, The Sorcerer’s Companion is an invaluable addition to any magical bookshelf.

The Sorcerer’s Companion has not been prepared, approved, or licensed by any person or entity that created, published, or produced the Harry Potter books or related properties.