As part of the 20th anniversary celebrations of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Bloomsbury has announced an art auction featuring Patronuses to raise money for BookTrust. BookTrust is the UK’s largest children’s reading charity; each year they reach 3.4 million children across the UK with books, resources and support to help develop a love of reading, because they know that reading can transform lives.
8th July 2019 marks 20 years since the first publication of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in the UK – the spellbinding third book in the phenomenally successful Harry Potter series that introduced readers to the notion of casting their Patronus – a protective spell that manifests as a silvery animal guardian.
Bloomsbury – the home of Harry Potter books in the UK– has joined forces with BookTrust, the UK’s largest reading charity, to mark 20 years of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban with a thrilling event that celebrates the Patronus Charm in all of its magical forms. A stellar line-up of over 20 top UK children’s book illustrators, Bloomsbury Harry Potter book artists (Jim Kay, Jonny Duddle, Levi Pinfold, Emily Gravett and Chris Riddell), and the amazing design minds behind MinaLima are creating ORIGINAL postcard-sized illustration of Patronus creatures.
Diana Gerald, BookTrust CEO commented, “We are thrilled to be part of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’s 20th anniversary and we know that these exclusive, one-of-a-kind illustrations will be in high demand. It’s lovely to think that a novel which has inspired children around the globe, along with some of the world’s most talented illustrators will help BookTrust to support families and get books into the hands of children across the UK.”
Prospective purchasers will be able to bid for the pieces online at BookTrust’s eBay for Charity page which will be live at 6pm BST on Monday 8th July and the postcards will be displayed during that week at Waterstones Piccadilly. With a wealth of talent from the world of children’s books these unique interpretations of the animal form of the Patronus are guaranteed to be a must-have for fans of all ages. Keep an eye out at www.booktrust.org.uk for more information.
Meanwhile, Bloomsbury is working closely with The Week Junior magazine to challenge children in schools throughout the UK to create their own ‘Patronus on a Postcard’ and win some amazing Harry Potter prizes. The competition runs from 7th – 27th June. Judges include Harry Potter illustrator Levi Pinfold and The Week Junior’s editor-in-chief Anna Bassi.
The following artists are participating by creating original artwork for the auction:
Bloomsbury has announced Emily Gravett as the artist who will be working on the Illustrated Edition of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter companion book, Quidditch Through the Ages. First published in 2001, Quidditch Through the Ages sales raised money for Comic Relief. This new illustrated edition will also aid Comic Relief as well as J.K. Rowling’s own charity, Lumos.
The illustrated edition of Quidditch Through the Ages will be published in hardcover on October 1st 2020. There will be a regular edition as well as a Deluxe edition. A full press release may be read below and high resolution images are in the gallery.
Bloomsbury Children’s Books today announce Emily Gravett as the artist who will create stunning images for an illustrated edition of J.K. Rowling’s Quidditch Through the Ages, sold in aid of Comic Relief and the author’s international children’s charity, Lumos. Publishing on 1st October 2020, this classic from the Hogwarts Library will be gloriously reimagined in a large, colour gift edition by the innovative and award-winning Gravett. She will use mixed media to capture the wit and spirit of J.K. Rowling’s wonderful text, using a deft combination of her signature pencil style, colour illustration, handmade realia and ingenious digital techniques.
Emily Gravett is a bestselling author/illustrator and has won the Kate Greenaway Medal twice. On being commissioned for this project, Emily said, ‘I am over the moon to be illustrating Quidditch Through the Ages. I never in my wildest dreams imagined that I would ever be asked to illustrate anything from the Potter world, but from the minute I sat down at my desk and started jotting down ideas I realised I may have landed myself my dream job. I am waking up each day excited to get to work. ’
Mandy Archer, Harry Potter Editorial Director and Head of Brand, said of Emily’s selection, ‘When we began our search to find an illustrator forQuidditch Through the Ages, Emily was always at the very top of our wishlist. She is a true original. Emily has the courage to take form and content into exciting and unexpected directions, infusing her work with an infectious sense of playfulness and fun. We cannot wait to see where she is going to take this brand new illustrated edition. ’ Emily Gravett was born in Brighton. After leaving school with few qualifications, she spent eight years living on the road before taking the BA Illustration course at Brighton University. She won the Macmillan Prize for Illustration with her first book, Wolves, which went on to win the Kate Greenaway Medal and the Boston Globe Horn Book Honor Award for Illustration and marked the beginning of an international career creating extraordinary and innovative books for children: Little Mouse’s Big Book of Fears won the Kate Greenaway Medal for her a second time. Her own picture books are published in more than 20 languages and she has also collaborated with some of the most creative writers working today including Julia Donaldson, A.F. Harrold, and Matt Haig.
Gravett joins fellow Greenaway winners Chris Riddell and Jim Kay, and fine artist Olivia Lomenech Gill in a world-class team of illustration talent chosen to create colour illustrated editions of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and Hogwarts Library books.
Quidditch Through the Ages was first published in 2001 and is arguably the most famous sports book in the wizarding world. The book contains all you will ever need to know about the history, the rules – and the breaking of the rules – of the noble sport of Quidditch. Packed with fascinating facts, this definitive guide charts the game’s history from its early origins through to the modern-day sport loved by so many wizard and Muggle families around the world. With comprehensive coverage of famous Quidditch teams, the commonest fouls, the development of racing brooms, and much more, this is a must-have sporting tome for all Harry Potter fans, Quidditch lovers and players. Quidditch Through the Ages is published in aid of Comic Relief and Lumos.
Quidditch Through the Ages Illustrated Edition by J.K. Rowling, illustrated by Emily Gravett Published in hardback October 2020. Deluxe edition will also be available.
Bloomsbury have revealed the beautiful new cover for the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Illustrated Edition. For the breathtaking front cover image, Jim Kay has pictured the moment Harry Potter faces the Hungarian Horntail dragon during his first task in the Triwizard Tournament.
More photos from inside the book have also been released and can be seen in the gallery!
Publishing in the UK and US on Tuesday 8th October 2019, the hardback Illustrated Edition will feature a wraparound dust jacket, ribbon marker, head and tail bands, illustrated endpapers and over 115 colour images. The Illustrated Edition will subsequently be published around the world in more than 21 languages all featuring Jim Kay’s artistic wizardry. A sumptuous Deluxe Edition will also publish simultaneously.
The first three Harry Potter Illustrated Editions were published to worldwide critical acclaim and Jim Kay’s artwork was universally embraced by fans and new readers alike. Combined sales of all the current Illustrated Editions across hardback and paperback formats now exceed 500,000 copies through UK TCM. All three previous Illustrated Editions hit the No.1 position in the official UK Children’s TCM Chart.
Today Bloomsbury announces the House Editions of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Both hardcover and paperback versions will be released on June 13th 2019. They will be published in time for the 20th anniversary of the book on Monday 8th July (the book was released in the USA that October.)
These beautiful House Editions will be a must-have addition to any fan’s bookshelf. Illustrated by Levi Pinfold, the front covers of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban will feature the black dog Animagus of Sirius Black as a central image with beautiful iconography and bespoke features woven into the design, drawing on themes and moments from this much-loved story.
The books can be pre-ordered on Bloomsbury’s website. The hardcover retails for £14.99 but can be pre-ordered for £11.99 while the paperback is £7.19, retail £7.99. View photos of all eight covers in our gallery!
More from the press release
There will be complementary hardback and paperback editions of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The hardbacks will be black with the house crest in a house colour and striped sprayed edges. The paperbacks will reverse the house colour theme and have single colour sprayed edges. Both editions will contain additional fascinating facts about the houses of Hogwarts, and specially commissioned illustrations by Levi Pinfold, showing favourite characters casting their Patronus.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was first published on 8th July 1999. It was the book that began to reveal Harry Potter’s deeper destiny and heralded the start of a phenomenon. Considered the fan favourite by many, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban introduced the terrifying Dementors to readers and the powerful Patronus Charm that defeated them, as well as four of Hogwarts’ most memorable alumni – Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs!
The House Editions of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone were published to great acclaim in 2017 and became the backbone of the campaign for the 20th anniversary. They were followed by equally luxurious House Editions of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in 2018. Bloomsbury will publish House Editions of the remaining four novels in the Harry Potter series. Dates yet to be decided.
This Fall fans will be able to purchase A Pop-Up Guide to Hogwarts. With incredibly detailed recreations of the Hogwarts Castle, Forbidden Forest, Quidditch Pitch and beyond, it has endless interactive hidden flaps to reveal your favourite characters and behind-the-scenes facts. Fans in the US will be able to pre-order now or purchase starting October 23rd while fans in the UK can pre-order or purchase on November 1st.
This 3D masterpiece celebrates Harry Potter’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry like never before, with pop-up magic from New York Times best-selling paper engineer Matthew Reinhart.
Open an exhilarating, interactive guide to the school with hidden flaps to reveal your favourite characters and behind-the-scenes facts. This highly collectible book features spectacular recreations of the Hogwarts Castle, Quidditch pitch, Forbidden Forest, Hogsmeade Village, and beyond.
Matthew Reinhart studied industrial design at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn before finding his calling as a paper engineer. His books include the best-selling Star Wars: A Pop-Up Guide to the Galaxy, and A Pop-Up Book of Nursery Rhymes, among many other award-winning titles. He lives in New York City.
Since pursuing a career in illustration, having initially found himself in the financial sector, Kevin Wilson has exhibited his work globally and worked with clients such as IMAX, Marvel and Bad Robot. He lives with his wife and two daughters in the south of England.
Bloomsbury Children’s Books has announced five theatre events and two festival appearances with artist Chris Riddell to celebrate publication of The Tales of Beedle the Bard Illustrated Edition.
At each of the theatre events former Children’s Laureate Chris Riddell will be talking about his inspiration behind the art for the book and what it was like to illustrate J.K. Rowling’s words. There will be a dramatic reading of one of the stories from the book while Chris Riddell draws live. Only five events will be happening across the UK and are set to be an essential event for fans of Harry Potter, Chris Riddell and magical fairy tales. Chris Riddell will be signing copies of the book after each event.
Chris Riddell will also be appearing at Bath and Cheltenham festivals where he will be in conversation discussing his work on the illustrated edition.
Scheduled events are as follows:
Tuesday 2nd October
Shakespeare’s Globe, London
Live reading: The Tale of the Three Brothers SOLD OUT
Wednesday 3rd October
City Campus, Nottingham
Live reading: Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump Book tickets
Sunday 7th October
Bath Festival of Children’s Literature
In Conversation event Book tickets
Monday 8th October
Prestfelde School, Shrewsbury
Live reading: The Warlock’s Hairy Heart Book tickets
Tuesday 9th October
Bluecoat Arts Centre, Liverpool
Live reading: The Fountain of Fair Fortune Book tickets
Thursday 11th October
The Albany Theatre, Coventry
Live reading: The Wizard and the Hopping Pot Book tickets
Sunday 14th October
Cheltenham Literature Festival
In Conversation event Book tickets
— 
