Customer Reviews

Harry Potter Collector's Handbook

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had no idea there were so many Harry Potter collectibles. Really opened my eyes to what's out there. Hundreds of color photos make it easy to find and identify what you've got. And there's a lot of collector advice and tips. The values make it an excellent reference to take with you while shopping at garage sales. You never know when you might find a bargain for your collection, or your favorite Potter fan, or even for reselling on eBay. Two thumbs up.

As I paged through this book I was amazed at all the collectibles that have been produced from the Harry Potter properties. The book has more than 1,000 color pictures, listings and secondary market values. It's organized in alphabetical order and has chapters on Harry Potter Action Figures, Books, Ornaments, Costumes, Calendars, Art, Coins, Dolls, Jewelry, Lunch Boxes, Toys and Movies. I'm sure I'm missing something. It even has rare first edition books worth thousands of dollars. My son has every Harry Potter book published and he's a Pottermaniac. Alas, he doesn't have any rare first edition books. But he has this one, and we both enjoy it.

I've been collecting Harry Potter, well, pretty much everything for quite some time now so I was excited to get my hands on this book. Mostly for the fun of going through it saying "I've got that, oh, yes, I've got that too," and so forth. :) A lot of pictures for the size of the book. There are, however, some gaps. Naturally it is impossible to include everything with the world wide popularity of the Harry Potter series, so I was not surprised to find some of my rarer items, such as a couple of rarer dolls from Europe. I was a little surprised the Gotz trio of Harry, Ron and Hermione were not included, since they were the first "big name" dolls produced (literary versions). They were not released in the U.S., though, so that could be part of the reason they are missing. The biggest surprise for me was that the Tonner section is missing the Professor Snape doll as well as the newer 12" line that was released last year.

A well organized treatment of a truly vast and complex subject. Considering the number of collectable items dealing with the subject it makes a valiant attempt to cover it all, an impossible task allotted to only 270 pages. An amazing value, what with each and every illustration presented in full color. The graphics are beautiful and the cover art is superb.

With interest in all things Harry Potter reaching another peak upon this weekend's release of part one of the major feature film installment of Rowling's final book "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 1", there will be growing interest in collectibles and memorabilia surrounding the Harry Potter phenomenon. Not only is the book well-timed, but it's got images, descriptions and pricing on a cornucopia of Harry Potter collectibles. If you love Harry Potter and want to collect cool stuff, or just read about the cool stuff that has been created to celebrate the stories and the characters you love, this is an excellent read, and a collectible in it's own right!

A full color book with more than 1000 collectibles. The alphabetical arrangement makes finding everything extra easy. Includes books, action figures, ornaments, costumes, art, dolls, jewelry and more. If you are a "Pottermaniac" this book is for you.

I have only watched a few of the Harry Potter movies. I have nephews who really enjoy the books and the movies. This book is layed out beautiful and with the magical power feel. I couldn't believe the amount of collectible figurines that are out there. If you have kids that like Harry Potter, this is a must have for them for Christmas.

Covering the vast spectrum of Harry Potter collectibles, from the various editions of the books to the action figures and statues to the trading cards and even the various VHS and DVD editions, this book runs the gamut and does it well.

It's exceptionally well-organized and essential to the Harry Potter collector wanting to know what's out there to find.

The book's frontmatter, including a biography of Rowling and articles on the evolution of the merchandising, are must reading as well.

I had seen this book listed at Amazon but never considered buying it because I thought, "Well, what fun is there in a catalog?" Then, a co-worker gave it to me as a Christmas gift and--goodness, was I wrong!

With the exception of the stamps and the section on the UK and Canadian editions of the Harry Potter books, William Silvester's "Harry Potter Collector's Handbook" covers mostly merchandise released in the United States. The handbook is not a complete guide to every licensed Harry Potter item that has hit the market, but it includes a wide range of collectibles and among the most popular ones are action figures, artwork, collector/trading cards, books, games, dolls, posters, ornaments, film cells, toys and calendars. And then, there are items I would have hardly thought as collectibles such as Halloween costumes, cookie cutters and edible cake toppers.

I'm not an avid collector but I have bought items I liked as reminders of the HP movies, so as I read through the Collector's Handbook, I was thrilled to find some of my collectibles listed. Then I was a bit disappointed that a few were left out such as the miniature desk clocks sold at the Warner Bros. Stores and a number of "SII" watches. Because some sections of the HP Collector's Handbook may not have complete listings of certain items, the Handbook may fall short of some serious collectors' expectations. But to the casual collector and to the HP fans, Mr. Silvester's book functions as a much-needed guide to the wide variety of HP merchandise in existence. His handbook is filled with color pictures; short item descriptions, and tips on how to collect, care and, in some cases, verify the authenticity of a product. For me, the fun was to pore over the color images of book covers, postcards, figurines, magnets, board games and realized that though I don't feel compelled to go out and buy them, I'm happy to "have them," you may say vicariously, thanks to this book. The "Harry Potter Collector's Handbook" may not be fully comprehensive, but it is the best effort so far at cataloging HP collectibles. In time, this book may become a collectible in itself.

I have to confess I have yet to even read a Harry Potter book, but when I saw this one, I knew I had to get it for one of my friends who's a total Harry Potter nerd and has a lot of the action figures. She loves it and even she was amazed at the vast world of collectibles out there this book is jam packed with, and has now created a wish list of other items to collect.