A new series of eBooks from J.K. Rowling and Pottermore will offer the “Stories of Hogwarts,” and they’ll include never-before-seen content.
The three eBooks appear to be a mix of previously released Pottermore content and brand new material, all of which is penned by Rowling. They will debut digitally on September 6, 2016 and are priced at $2.99 a pop, according to listings on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Apple’s online stores. Their titles are:
- Short Stories from Hogwarts of Power, Politics and Pesky Poltergeists
- Short Stories from Hogwarts of Heroism, Hardship and Dangerous Hobbies
- Hogwarts: An Incomplete and Unreliable Guide
Listings for the books appeared on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Apple’s iBooks Store Tuesday evening, signaling that a formal announcement is imminent.
All three eBooks promise to “take you beyond the Harry Potter stories as J.K. Rowling reveals her inspiration, intricate details of characters’ lives and surprises from the wizarding world,” according to the synopses.
But most tantalizing: Two of the eBooks are promising “some exclusive new additions.”
The eBook titled Power, Politics, and Pesky Poltergeists will offer “a glimpse into the darker side of the wizarding world, revealing the ruthless roots of Professor Umbridge, the lowdown on the Ministers for Magic and the history of the wizarding prison Azkaban. You will also delve deeper into Horace Slughorn’s early years as Potions master at Hogwarts — and his acquaintance with one Tom Marvolo Riddle.”
The book called Heroism, Hardship and Dangerous Hobbies will offer “stories of heroism, hardship and dangerous [focused on] two of the Harry Potter stories’ most courageous and iconic characters: Minerva McGonagall and Remus Lupin. J.K. Rowling also gives us a peek behind the closed curtains of Sybill Trelawney’s life, and you’ll encounter the reckless, magical-beast-loving Silvanus Kettleburn along the way.”
Finally, Hogwarts: An Incomplete and Unreliable Guide “takes you on a journey to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You’ll venture into the Hogwarts grounds, become better acquainted with its more permanent residents, learn more about lessons and discover secrets of the castle . . . all at the turn of a page.”
“An Incomplete and Unreliable Guide” is an intriguing title. Are they implying the book will be updated with more information? And why is it unreliable? Who wrote it — Rita Skeeter?
It’s interesting that Pottermore is releasing these as eBooks, since a lot of the content is already available for free on their website. I would’ve preferred these be available in print because reading an eBook is not very different from reading Pottermore.com.
Then again: Maybe Pottermore thinks they’ll reach new audiences by publishing them on Amazon, Apple, etc.
Also interesting is the timing of their release — just five weeks after The Cursed Child was published. Are they releasing them in September to ride the “eighth story” hype?
Questions aside, I like this idea. By putting these Harry Potter short stories into a series of books, all of the information will be better organized. It helps us put all of it into official canon.
Which makes you wonder: Where’s that Encyclopedia? Or are these the Encyclopedia?
Hypable has reached out to Pottermore for comment. We’ll update you when we hear more.
Thanks to Madison for the tip!
Related: WB teases ‘much more’ from J.K. Rowling ‘on the horizon’
