Field Guide to Harry Potter (Paperback)

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Key Phrases: astronomy tower, love potion, wizarding folk, Harry Potter, Death Eaters, Ministry of Magic (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Whether or not the Potter frenzy exhausted itself during the months leading up to book seven will certainly determine the fate of Duriez's Field Guide among fans. One thing Potter devotees can bank on, however, is that Duriez (A Field Guide to Narnia) knows his material inside out and has amassed an encyclopedic knowledge of the great classics of children's literature and the Western intellectual cannon—which he employs judiciously to situate everything from the wizarding world in the romantic tradition to the relationship between Hogwarts and the classic school story. While this work is admirable, the guide, unfortunately, reads like a textbook or a kind of Harry Potter diagnostic manual. As a rule, Duriez's prose falls flat (though it occasionally dips into the realm of playful color commentary), its topics lack introduction, and much of the book is taken up by a series summary and an exhaustive glossary of terms. Also disappointing is the chapter on J.K. Rowling's Spiritual Worldview, half of which is dedicated to listing and summarizing the spate of books that link Harry Potter to Christianity and spirituality, rather than offering new insights about the series and its Christian themes. But if Potter fans are looking for a basic reference manual and a few interesting talking points, Duriez's book will surely satisfy. (Dec.)
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Product Description

Everything you need to know about Harry Potter!

From plot summaries to refresh your memory (Do you remember which book introduces the character of Luna Lovegood?) to a delightful glossary of characters, places, spells and special objects (Do you know what the spell aparecium does?), this book, authored by Colin Duriez, is designed to be an excellent companion to the Harry Potter books.

With loads of quotes from interviews, you'll learn all about J. K. Rowling's life and her literary influences. Chapters on the spirituality of Potter explore the question of how Rowling's faith is reflected in the stories, what she believes about witchcraft and how the stories fit with Christian tradition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: IVP Books; 1ST edition (December 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830834303
• ISBN-13: 978-0830834303
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #326,665 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Forgotten who lived in Spinner's End?, May 19, 2009

By	Susanne Lyse Jelsgaard "SusDK" (Denmark) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Field Guide to Harry Potter

In this book you will find a very useful index of names, places etc from the Harry Potter books. There is also a nice but short biography of J.K. Rowling. Otherwise there is nothing revolutionary in it.
But for a big fan like me this is part of a HP collection.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Harry Potter, August 20, 2009

By	Lynn E. Oliva (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Other than the first few chapters, I found that this book is a wonderful reference to the Harry Potter book series. I did know about J.K. Rowling's life story and how she wrote her books. This went a little more in depth about that and her background.

I found the religious portions interesting as well as informative. It brought to my mind that things are not all what they seem to be. One does not know everything about the religious aspects that are brought to light in the Harry Potter books. When one reads them, the individual probably does not realize the effects of religion in those books. They are reading the books because it is Harry Potter and are not looking deeper into the stories.

"The Field Guide to Harry Potter" is just that. A 'guide' so that those who read it will get a better understanding of the underlying themes of the individual books. This makes one want to read the books over and over again, as I have done.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best I've Read, June 16, 2009

By	ApologiaPhoenix (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews

As a Seminary student, I love the Potter books. It's refreshing to see them cast in the proper light as great Christian works. Duriez makes a strong case for this as he explores every facet of Harry Potter including biography on the life of the author J.K. Rowling. There is no doubt that Duriez has done his homework.

In addition, one will find a timeline of the events as well as a glossary of many of the people and items. If you can have only one resource on an overall look at Harry Potter, I'd choose this one.