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Harry Potter: A History of Magic cover art

Harry Potter: A History of Magic

Written by: Pottermore Publishing, Ben Davies
Narrated by: Natalie Dormer
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Publisher's Summary

The history of magic is as long as time and as wide as the world. In every culture, in every age, in every place and, probably, in every heart, there is magic.

Harry Potter: A History of Magic reveals some of the hidden stories behind real-world magic and explores some of J.K. Rowling's magical inventions alongside their folkloric, cultural and historical forebears.

Narrator Natalie Dormer and a host of experts will take you on an audio journey like no other; from ancient China, to a 14th-century apothecary's shop, on to the Salem witch trials and beyond. They delve into a rich body of writings about magic and explore intriguing artefacts to bring to life deep-rooted ideas of mysticism from around the world.

Along the way, you can listen for handy tips on how to capture a basilisk, make yourself invisible or create your very own philosopher's stone. You'll hear about the dozens of drafts and drawings that went into J.K. Rowling's writing process and enjoy exclusive interviews with Jim Dale, Stephen Fry and illustrator Jim Kay, who all share their experiences of working on these incredible stories.

The extraordinary and thought-provoking tales in this audiobook are perfect for anyone who wants to know a little more about magic and the wizarding world.

Music composed by Patrick Neil Doyle

Sound effects licensed from ProSound Effects

©2018 J.K. Rowling/Pottermore Ltd. (P)2018 J.K. Rowling/Pottermore Ltd.

A Message from Natalie Dormer

Natalie Dormer invites you to take an audio journey through the history of real-life magic.
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What listeners say about Harry Potter: A History of Magic

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  • Overall
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    4 out of 5 stars

Love all of this information on the books

My only hesitation is that there are a few additional guests, but two guests speaking were so annoying to listen too. Natalie Dormer does an amazing job, but one woman laughs way to much while trying to explain things, and another woman has absolutely no character to her voice. It’s very bland to listen to during her recordings.
I wish it was all read by Natalie.

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  • Overall
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Amazing 🔮

Really loved listening to this. As a lifelong fan of everything Harry Potter and I couldn't stop listening to all of the interesting history behind it all.

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Very interesting

Well done, I didn’t realize it was a documentary more than a fictional book but I truly did enjoy it

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Awesome History with a great voice

This was a match made in heaven! Natalie Doormer AND Harry Potter?! If you love Harry Potter and need a great female voice to narrate to you JK Rowling’s awesome lore and history; then this is the audiobook for you!

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2 people found this helpful

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Tanya Kirk laughs way too much

Great book, very interesting. All the narrators are wonderful EXCEPT Tanya Kirk. Every time she speaks she laughs in the clip and it’s incredibly irritating. Everyone else is taking this seriously but it’s almost as if she thinks all of this is a big joke, especially when it comes to topic of what they used to do in the past- it’s as if she is making fun of them for thinking that way/ testing something out. Yet the tone of the book is that science stemmed from witchcraft.

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8 people found this helpful

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Almost perfect

Would have been perfect if Tanya Kirk hadn’t giggled or laughed every time she spoke- it took away from the respect of the subject.

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6 people found this helpful

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Did not think this was a history of the real world

Was expecting a history of the magic world of Harry Potter but instead, I got a history of wizardry throughout our history with the museum of history of London and New York.
But the worst part is the slytherin voice of Julien Harrison which made my ears sizzle. Always whispering and making thundering s sounds after each Word... I skipped his parts at the END!

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3 people found this helpful

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Awesome 👏👏👏

I loved this book it tells you about the artifacts, classes and more. Great listen. YA.

Dojo the 🐱 says mreow

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Brought me back to the wizard of world

Probably better with the different people help narrate the book, although seeing all the visuals would’ve been nice. This is a nice way to get back into the magic that is Harry Potter. I’ll probably go pick up my copies of the series for a reread now.

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2 people found this helpful

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A great fix for a dedicated fan

Natalie Dormer does a fantastic job narrating, and i appreciated the way the topics were broken up into parts to keep up the listener’s interests. I also followed along with the hard copy of A History of Magic, which meant i could see the pictures and artifacts being described. I also loved the way they described how magic frequently paved the way for science, and described many scientific innovations with the same tones of wonder and discovery. Loved it!

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1 person found this helpful