J.K. Rowling, author of the wildly popular Harry Potter series, has announced that two new books would be added to the series. The announcement came on her website, Pottermore, where fans of Potter can explore the books, movies, and Hogwarts, as well as get exclusive content pertaining to the series. The books are to be published in October 2017 as part of a British exhibition celebrating the 20th anniversary of the series. The exhibition is entitled “A History of Magic” and will run at the British Library from October through February 2018. 

The books will not be a part of the Potter narrative, but rather in-universe books rather like “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” and “The Tales of Beetle the Bard.” The first is “Harry Potter: A History of Magic – The Book of the Exhibition” and will go deeper into the subjects that Harry and friends studied at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The second book is “Harry Potter—A Journey Through a History of Magic” and will expand on Rowling’s concept of magic by talking about alchemy, unicorns, ancient witchcraft, among other magical topics. 

The Potterverse was already one of the most developed universes once the first series came out, with Rowling’s world building in depth and extensive, but since the publication of the last book, she has not stopped delivering new writing for fans. Part of the reason Rowling’s Potter universe has survived so long is the constant addition of this new content. The first novel, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”, came out in 1997, with the last book, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”, being published in 2007. Ten years later, the Potterverse is still alive and thriving, with several theme parks, an active website, and a new film series, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” based on one of Rowling’s other additive novels.  

Additionally, in the summer of 2016, a new play written for London’s West End was released entitled “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”. Fans were able to see their favorite characters on stage rather than on screen, and copies of the script were printed out and bound for fans to buy in bookstores across the globe. Though Rowling only approved the play instead of writing it, “Cursed Child” was still new content and the fans ate it up. The play is expected to open on Broadway in April 2018, and is expected to be a sell-out smash similar to what was seen in London. 

Come October, you can pick up copies of the new “Potter” books and immerse yourself in the wizarding world once more.

Photo courtesy of Las Vegas Review Journal