Quidditch Through The Ages [Import] [Paperback]

J. K. Rowling (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 42 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc; 2001 edition (March 11, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0747554714
• ISBN-13: 978-0747554714
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #373,762 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

J K (Joanne Kathleen) Rowling was born in the summer of 1965 at Yate General Hospital in England and grew up in Chepstow, Gwent where she went to Wyedean Comprehensive. Jo left Chepstow for Exeter University, where she earned a French and Classics degree, and where her course included one year in Paris. As a postgraduate she moved to London to work at Amnesty International, doing research into human rights abuses in Francophone Africa. She started writing the Harry Potter series during a Manchester to London King's Cross train journey, and during the next five years, outlined the plots for each book and began writing the first novel. Jo then moved to northern Portugal, where she taught English as a foreign language. She married in October 1992 and gave birth to her daughter Jessica in 1993. When her marriage ended, she returned to the UK to live in Edinburgh, where "Harry Potter & the Philosopher's Ston"e was eventually completed and in 1996 she received an offer of publication. The following summer the world was introduced to Harry Potter."Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" was published by Bloomsbury Children's Books in June 1997 and was published as "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" in America by Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic in September 1998.The second title in the series, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets", was published in July 1998 (June 2, 1999 in America) and was No. 1 in the adult hardback bestseller charts for a month after publication. "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" was published on 8th July 1999 (September 8, 1999 in America) to worldwide acclaim and massive press attention. The book spent four weeks at No.1 in the adult hardback bestseller charts, while "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" simultaneously topped the paperback charts. In the US the first three Harry Potter books occupied the top three spots on numerous adult bestseller lists.The fourth book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" was published in Britain, the USA, Canada and Australia 8th July 2000 with a record first print run of 1 million copies for the UK and 3.8 million for the US. It quickly broke all records for the greatest number of books sold on the first weekend of publication. The fifth book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," was published in Britain, the USA, Canada and Australia on 21st June 2003. Published in paperback on 10th July 2004, it is the longest in the series - 766 pages - and broke the records set by "Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire" as the fastest selling book in history. The sixth book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", was published in the UK, US and other English-speaking countries on 16th July 2005 and also achieved record sales.The seventh and final book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," was published in the UK, US and other English speaking countries on 21st July 2007. The book is the fastest selling book in the UK and USA and sales have contributed to breaking the 375 million copies mark worldwide.J K Rowling has also written two small volumes, which appear as the titles of Harry's school books within the novels. "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" and "Quidditch Through The Ages" were published by Bloomsbury Children's Books and Scholastic in March 2001 in aid of Comic Relief. The Harry Potter books have sold 400 million copies worldwide. They are distributed in over 200 territories and are translated into 67 languages.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Funny, likely prized by serious Harry Potter fans, July 28, 2003

By 

A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Quidditch Through the Ages (Library Binding)

Summary:
The book was published as a charitable publication; all of the proceeds are supposed to go to a charitable organization with the writing and publication costs being taken care of by donations. As for the contents, the book covers the history and rules of Quidditch and talks about some of the professional teams in Great Britain.

My Comments:
First, the book is quite funny, with numerous humorous notes and stories. It is more reminiscent of Rowlings earlier Harry Potter novels than it is of numbers 4 and 5 that do have some funny elements but tend to be much more serious than the first three.

The book is also probably highly prized by Harry Potter fanatics because it further develops the already incredibly detailed magical/muggle world of the series. Rowling has accomplished something few other authors can claim - the creation of a credible world - and this is just another doorway into that world.

The only problem I could possibly see with this book is that it is hardly long enough to be called a book; it is more a monograph or pamphlet with its roughly 50 pages. Granted this is a fictitious history which means every detail and story has to be developed from scratch. What's more, it has to be incorporated into the existing stories and future stories. Nevertheless, this can only be described as a 'brief' history of Quidditch.

Overall, you can read the entire thing in about 30 minutes and if you are a die hard Harry Potter fan you'll probably appreciate it and find it disappointingly short. If not, it won't likely keep your interest like the novels will. I'd recommend it for die hard fans but be aware that it is short.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fun book, November 4, 2002

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Quidditch Through the Ages (Harry Potter) (Turtleback)

This cute little book was actually part of a pair (along with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) produced by J.K. Rowling for the charity Comic Relief. Written in a tongue in cheek manner, this books appears to be straight from the Hogwarts School Library, complete with borrow & due date list that includes one H. Potter! Purportedly written by one Kennilworthy Whisp, this book covers the evolution of Quidditch from its inception, and along the way explains how Quidditch is played.

This is a fun book for any Harry Potter fan to own. It's a good, light-hearted read, and helps explain Quidditch to us muggles, in a manner much more clear than in the regular Harry Potter books. Bet this book!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quidditch Through the Ages, December 9, 2003

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Quidditch Through the Ages (Library Binding)

The book "Quidditch Through the Ages"by J.K. Rowling is a great book to read if you like the Harry Potter books and the sport Quidditch als from those books.This book guides you from the beggining of Quidditch until the present of what Quidditch is now.The book is focused only on Quidditch,it talks about the many teams from England and many other countries as well. It also talks about where the bludgers came into existence, and why the teams have certain logos on their uniforms.The book mentions amazing events and things that have happened in historic matches.Also it talks on how rules have changed through time.There are many other features that this book includes,I hope you like it as much as I did.