Two New Harry Potter Books to Be Published in October 2017

Bloomsbury is releasing two collections in honor of the series' 20th anniversary

By Zach Johnson Jul 19, 2017 1:55 PMTags

Hermione Granger's reading list just got a little longer.

British publishing house Bloomsbury announced Tuesday that two Harry Potter books will be released in October, coinciding with the opening of the British Library's Harry Potter exhibition, "A History of Magic." Harry Potter: A History of Magic - The Book of the Exhibition will take readers through subjects studied at Hogwarts, while Harry Potter - A Journey Through a History of Magic will cover mystical topics including alchemy, ancient witchcraft and magical creatures.

Each chapter in The Book of the Exhibition "showcases a treasure trove of artifacts from the British Library and other collections around the world, beside exclusive manuscripts, sketches and illustrations from the Harry Potter archive," according to the publisher. Each subject area includes a "specially commissioned essay" from people like Steve Backshall, Richard Coles, Owen Davies, Julia Eccleshare, Roger Highfield, Steve Kloves, Lucy Mangan, Anna Pavord and Tim Peake. A Journey Through a History of Magic, meanwhile, will teach readers lessons on Astronomy, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Divination, Herbology and other wizarding subjects.

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The books will be available Oct. 20, and they are both available for pre-order now.

The London-based Harry Potter exhibition, meanwhile, will run through February 2018; it honors the 20th anniversary of J.K. Rowling's novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Next spring, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will begin performances on Broadway. The play, which runs in repertory in two parts, has been a critical and commercial hit in on the West End.