Ultimate Unofficial Guide to the Mysteries of Harry Potter: Analysis of Books 1-4 by Galadriel Waters, Astre Mithrandir Published by Wizarding World Press on January 1st 2003
Pages: 412
Goodreads
Calling all HP Sleuths...
Here is the original Ultimate Unofficial Guide to the Mysteries of Harry Potter, which gives Harry Potter fans the ability to delve deeper into the mysteries and fun of Harry Potter. It investigates all the clues that J.K. Rowling has hidden in her series.
This is the Guide that got almost everything right about what would happen in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Over 400 pages of theories and predictions -- including many more theories about what will happen in Books 6 and 7. Find out about those!
Using only legitimate sources (J.K. Rowling's published works and interviews), this guide can be used to expose plot puzzles and clues that the author has concealed in her stories. Readers are excited to discover all the hints they missed when they read the Harry Potter books the first time(s)!
Readers are taught to become an expert HP Sleuth, so they can have a lot more fun doing their Harry Potter detective work while they wait for Book 6.
Here is a taste of what's in the book...-What's with Percy?-What is going to happen in the war?-Who may turn traitor in the final two books?-What secrets does Professor Snape hold?-Do you know how to solve Snape's poison bottle puzzle in the room "through the trapdoor?" Did you know there are actually 2 solutions to that puzzle?
The Ultimate Unofficial Guide to the Mysteries of Harry Potter addresses a broad audience in a humorous, fun-to-read, conversational format that brings new excitement to the Harry Potter series. It is a must have for Harry Potter fans!
When I was little in the heyday of the Harry Potter craze everyone spent hours and hours debating the future of the series. Who would die, who would get together, what was going to happen? There was a solid three years when this was all I thought about. My Harry Potter collection was not restricted to just the core series back then. If it had the words “Harry Potter” on the cover, I owned it (in retrospect I think this was the beginning of my collector’s obsession).
Among the sprawling shelves of Potterness sat a series of books that probably began my English major style analysis of literature. The Ultimate Unofficial Guides took the tiniest clues and with the help of the “Harry Potter Sleuths” attempted to deduce and find meaning to discover what would happen next. There were three main books, the first covering books 1-4, the second covering 5, and the third covering 6. There was also a “Clues” book for book 5 which was like a preview of what was to come and it came with a HP Sleuth member card, a bookmark, and some other fun things.
Guys, this stuff was the dorkiest of dorky sets to own. It delved deep into the meaning of names, Rowling’s use of words, numerology, mythology, and obscure history to wring out every piece of information it could. It even compared the US and UK versions and is the reason I knew that Sirius Black’s vault was near to Nicolas Flamel’s. I spent hours pouring over them, my copy of the 1-4 analysis was read so many times that the front cover curled up on itself.
Truly though, these books took analysis to a new level and got a lot right. They were fascinating to read and taught me all sorts of random facts while delving into my favorite series. I learned about use of language, about symbols, all things I would later get deeper into in high school and college.
Though these books are really an unnecessary addition for the casual Potter fan, they were must haves for the raging Potterheads of the day. Whether they are still available, I’m not entirely sure. But if you get the chance to pick one up I highly recommend them. They were addicting reads for my friends and I as we discussed theories and became early literature nuts. They shaped who I became and what I would study in college, my desire to write and to talk about books.
I highly recommend these books for the Potter addict in yours life as well as any younger fan who likes to think in depth about an author’s meaning and intention.
Did you ever pick up these books? Share your experience in the comments.
From my shelf to yours,
Erin
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