Harry, a History: The True Story of a Boy Wizard, His Fans, and Life Inside the Harry Potter Phenomenon by Melissa Anelli

At around midnight with work looming the next day, I turned to close the book and made the mistake of looking a the chapter list. Ooh the interview…. Ooh Get a Clue… An hour later…

First up I should disclose I am a Harry Potter fan, and have been in, around or lurking in the fandom since 2003. So I have been very much looking forward to this book since it was first hinted at, on The Leaky Cauldron’s weekly podcast: Pottercast.

Essentially, following the fandom in the year up to the release of The Deathly Hallow, Melissa Anelli, also looks back over the previous ten years, and the elements that helped fuel it’s growth: fanfiction (which is how I entered the online Potter world), wizard rock, message boards and online communities are all mentioned.

Chock-full of personal anecdotes as you would expect from someone who runs one of the most popular Harry Potter sites on the net, Melissa Anelli also covers all the big events in the Potterverse, from book releases, and the films and everything in between.

For anybody that has been involved in the fandom in anyway this book is a bit like looking at a photo album, each page sparks a memory or a connection you had forgotten about, hence my quote at the start of the review, it was very easy to flick though the book, and have something catch your eye, and twenty minutes later, find yourself deep in a chapter.   For those that have looked on with bemusement. the book is a is an engaging look (an explanation) of the global impact Potter has had on popular culture.

A most enjoyable read.

[rating:75/100]

Buy, Harry, A History: The True Story of a Boy Wizard, His Fans, and Life Inside the Harry Potter Phenomenon, from Amazon.

• The Leaky Cauldron
• Pottercast
• Harry, a History