Monday 26th June 2017 marks 20 years since Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was published and to celebrate the beginning of all the magic, the British Library is curating Harry Potter: A History of Magic, which will open on 20th October.
In collaboration with Bloomsbury, this will be the first exhibition held by the British Library on a single book series with a living author.
Showcasing the history of magic from around the globe, the exhibition will display the bewitching range of wizarding objects, books and manuscripts. We can now delve into never-seen-before materials from J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury, as well as learn about the background to the spellbinding journey that began with the first book’s publication in 1997.
Jamie Andrews, Head of Culture and Learning at the British Library, said: ‘We at the British Library are thrilled to be working with J.K. Rowling and with Bloomsbury to mark the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter, and to inspire fans with the magic of our own British Library collection.’
From Potions to Care of Magical Creatures, the exhibition is designed around the subjects that Harry, Ron and Hermione study at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Using medieval manuscripts and books, the British Library will reveal the magical traditions behind the school subjects, such as 500 year old illustrations of dragons and phoenixes from the Library’s archives. Combined with these collections, original hand-written drafts and drawings from Bloomsbury and J.K. Rowling’s archives, alongside illustrations from Jim Kay, will be exhibited.
Tickets for Harry Potter: A History of Magic go on sale at 12pm on Monday 3rd April (not long!), priced at £16 per adult and between £5 and £11 for concessions. Head to https://www.bl.uk/harry-potter to find out more.
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