Wiley, a book publisher, recently sent me a copy of Harry Potter and History to review for the site. The book gives you “the historical backdrop to Harry Potter’s world, covers topics ranging from how real British boarding schools compare to Hogwarts to how parchment, quills, and scrolls used in the wizarding world were made” AND includes a timeline comparing the history of the wizarding world to Muggle “real” history. If this sounds interesting to you, you can head over to Barnes and Noble to purchase the book, it retails for $17.95 but B&N has it for $12!

I am not normally the type of person to read history books but I do enjoy watching those random history shows on television when they are on an interesting topic so I knew that I would enjoy this book.  It was great to learn the history behind some of the themes and objects in the Potter books. This book is a wonderful learning tool because you are learning history but it is also fun because it is being related to the Potter series.

It was very cool to learn the history of bezoars and how they were prized possessions long ago because of their value, they also believed them to have healing powers. Some more interesting things you will read about, if you haven’t researched them already on your own, include the history of Nicholas Flamel, The Malfoys and the class system, the oppression of witches and wizards throughout history, how Voldemort and his Death Eaters are like the Nazis and so much more!

I encourage you to pick up this book and dig a little deeper into the series that we all cherish and love to read over and over.  It will give you a whole new understanding of the history of the wizarding world.