If there’s one thing that unites people across age and gender and just about every other division you could come up with, it’s Harry Potter. It’s been described as the most influential work of Western children’s literature and sometimes it seems like there can’t be anything else to tease out of the series after seven books plus tie-ins, nine films (and counting), a studio tour, two theme parks and now a play, but the British Library has managed to curate something that genuinely seems like a fresh take on the much-loved franchise.
This exhibition is laid out by Hogwarts subject, taking you through Potions, Alchemy, Herbology, Charms, Astrology, Divination, Defence Against the Dark Arts, and Care of Magical Creatures, and tying these familiar classes into their cultural traditions and inspirations. It’s as close as we’re ever going to get to a magical education of our very own and learning the true ‘magic’ behind the fiction is certainly interesting – from a real Bezoar stone to crystal balls purportedly used by real witches. There’s medieval texts and Spanish potions bottles and a gorgeous ornithological drawing of snowy owls, all displayed alongside Jim Kay’s gorgeous original drawings – you’ll know him from the illustrated Harry Potter books that are being released one a year at the moment. It all ties itself up into a magical journey through Harry’s world which digs down into the historical context that fills the texts.
One of the most intriguing – and popular, with queues to read each item! – inclusions to the exhibition is some of JK Rowling’s original notes and drawings. Reading an incredibly early draft of Philosopher’s Stone featuring Hagrid talking to Fudge about ‘a red-eyed dwarf’ – presumably an early incarnation of Voldemort – was definitely a highlight, but the experience is peppered with early drafts of chapters, both handwritten and typed, and sketches of her characters in their world. Look out for the drawing that refers to Dean Thomas as Gary!
The insight that the exhibition gives into how Harry Potter was written is also an added bonus you get with your ticket. JKR’s original notes for the layout of Hogwarts, the house sorting procedure and the very Hogwarts subjects you’re learning about are all on display, alongside scenes with dialogue that was cut from the printed copies and rooms and rooms of the historical content that inspired Harry’s world. It’s fascinating to see the humble beginnings of the Potter franchise and nothing reminds you of it more than what greets you when you first enter the exhibition. JKR’s original Potter pitch letter sits alongside the verdict of eight-year-old Alice Newton, daughter of the Chief Executive of Bloomsbury Publishing and one of Harry Potter’s very first fans: ‘the excitement in this book made me feel warm inside’. A sentiment that the world would share soon enough.
If you can make it to the British Library before the 28th February 2018 then this exhibit is definitely something to check out! It is, as the Evening Standard proclaimed, ‘a cornucopia of magical and mysterious items’ and it’s nice to step away from all that uni reading and take a stroll through the world of your childhood right here in London, with no need to travel to the studio tour or the theme parks. There’s a video at the end showing the crowds waiting for the midnight release of The Order of the Phoenix and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t tear up a little at the reminder of just now excited a book could make people feel.
Harry Potter: A History of Magic is open at the British Library until 28th February 2018. Book your tickets here!