3 Comments for The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the World of Harry Potter

• 1. Yoshino  |  December 15th, 2009 at 4:51 pm

  Complete Idiot’s Guide to The World of Harry Potter by Tere StoufferWhen I got this book I thought it might just be a recap of the Harry Potter books, all of which I enjoyed immensely. However, to my surprise and delight this is truly a GUIDE, although certainly not written for idiots, despite the catchy name of the series of excellent and informative books! Instead, it holds a wealth of fascinationg knowledge, showing that J.K. Rowling really researched her fantastic stories in minute detail,rather than making it all up. In this guide, which you can use like a dictionary to look up terms you don’t understand in the British or archaic language, or which you can enjoy reading straight through and devouring the knowledge of medieval practices, beliefs, cures, spells, and more. You can understand terms used in fairy tales and old English and Celtic lore; increase your vocabulary to include many real words you didn’t know; understand references to mythological traditions and floklore; have insight into the beliefs and legends of Egyptian, Greek, Mesopotamian, and Roman gods and traditions. You will learn about many herbs and the actual medicinal practices of ancient times, on which Rowling bases her potions. And, of course, many of the references and situations in the Harry Potter Series are explained and clarified, without ruining the plot of those you haven’t yet read. This is a fascinating book to read even if you have not read the Rowling books. I highly recommend it!

• 2. Anonymous  |  December 15th, 2009 at 5:03 pm

  “The Complete Idiots Guide to the World of Harry Potter” is a fine book in book in the line of reference books for the “Harry Potter” series. However, it’s promoted as having “in-depth information on all seven books in the Harry Potter series.” Hogwash. A quick look at the contents of the book reveals that it contains, at best, minimal information about the seventh book, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.” In fact, the information about the final book is stuffed into the final chapter and is not properly edited into the other chapters. For example, in one area, the book discusses magical gadgets and refers to Dumbledore’s “Put-Outer.” The author comments that it’s “not the most creatively named object in the wizarding world.” Well, if the information about the seventh book had been added into the text proper, then it would mention that this object full-well does have a proper name — it’s the “Deluminator.”

  Small problem such as this aside, this is a great reference book for the series. Sure, it may not be as in-depth as other guides, but it’s written more for the average reader, perhaps someone who hasn’t even read the “Harry Potter” books. And I can tell you, as a fan, and someone who has read all seven (as well as a number of others related to the series), this book has a lot of good information. It’s taught me many references and things I didn’t know about the series, and also serves as a great primer of the basics. It is split up into several chapters, which cover various things, including the famous names of the wizarding world, the various types of spells, the types of magical animals, the key objects that witches and wizards need, and much more.

  Overall, both fans and those who’ve never opened one of the HP books before can get enjoyment out of this book. It serves as both a fine reference and refresher.

• 3. Emera  |  December 15th, 2009 at 6:14 pm

  While this book does have some interesting information, I agree with another reviewer that it does not include much of the seventh book. It’s a handy guide for someone who occasionally reads the books, but not too helpful for those avid readers. As a side note, they repeatedly refer to the author of the Inheritance Cycle series as Michael Paolini, when in fact his name is Christopher. This makes me wonder how much research the author did for this book.

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