Harry, A History: The True Story of a Boy Wizard, His Fans, and Life Inside the Harry Potter Phenomenon | 
 enlarge | Author: Melissa Anelli
Creator: J.k. Rowling
Publisher: Pocket
Category: Book
List Price: $16.00
Buy New: $8.90
You Save: $7.10 (44%)
New (42) Used (13) from $8.90
Avg. Customer Rating:  29 reviews
Sales Rank: 207
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 368
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.4 x 1.1
ISBN: 1416554955
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN: 9781416554950
Publication Date: November 4, 2008 (New: Last 30 Days)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The Harry Potter Books Were Just The Beginning of the Story... During the brief span of just one decade, hundreds of millions of perfectly ordinary people made history: they became the only ones who would remember what it was like when the Harry Potter saga was still unfinished. What it was like to seek out friends, families, online forums, fan fiction, and podcasts to get a fix between novels. When the potential death of a character was a hotter bet than the World Series. When the unfolding story of a boy wizard changed the way books are read for all time. And as webmistress of the Leaky Cauldron, one of the most popular Harry Potter sites on the Internet, Melissa Anelli had a front row seat to it all. Whether it was helping Scholastic stop leaks and track down counterfeiters, hosting live PotterCasts at bookstores across the country, touring with the wizard rock band Harry and the Potters, or traveling to Edinburgh to interview J. K. Rowling personally, Melissa was at the center of the Harry Potter tornado, and nothing about her life would ever be the same. The Harry Potter books are a triumph of the imagination that did far more than break sales records for all time. They restored the world's sense of wonder and took on a magical life of their own. Now the series has ended, but the story is not over. With remembrances from J. K. Rowling's editors, agents, publicists, fans, and Rowling herself, Melissa Anelli takes us on a personal journey through every aspect of the Harry Potter phenomenon -- from his very first spell to his lasting impact on the way we live and dream.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 24 more reviews...
 Your ESSENTIAL ringside seat to the Harry Potter phenomenon written by an insider, Melissa Anelli. October 23, 2008
42 out of 50 found this review helpful
Though there have been many dozens of books attempting to chronicle the particulars of Harry Potter fandom in all its dimensions -- the fan fiction, the Wizard Rock, the websites, the conventions, et al. -- all have fallen short because of the inherent difficulty in condensing its breadth and scope to manageable size; but this one admirably compacts ten, detailed years of Harry Potter history in its 356 pages, and covers the subject thoroughly.
It's a given that, if you know of Melissa's Leaky Cauldron website, you'll find this book to be an extension of the website, and delightfully so; but the real surprise for me was that it not only is for the die-hard fans but the rest of the world who are wondering, "What's all the excitement about?" This book answers that question.
In its pages, Melissa Anelli thoroughly covers Harry Potter fandom in a way that could only be done by an insider, by someone who has had access to virtually everyone of note in the Harry Potter community, fan and pro, and also what she calls "Team Potter" -- Rowling's publishers, agents, lawyers -- the professional team who rarely give access or interviews to their inner workings, and, most significantly, Rowling herself, a "first" for any book written about her. That "Team Potter" allowed Melissa access speaks volumes about their professional respect for her, which is why The Leaky Cauldron (a reference to a beloved inn and favorite watering hole in Rowling's wizarding world) is considered the best, most reliable source of news in Harry Potter fandom. (This year, especially, has been trying and divisive for fans, because of the trial between RDR Books and Rowling. During that regrettable and sordid episode, it was The Leaky Cauldron that was the voice of reason.)
In reading Melissa's first-hand account of what's happened in Harry Potter fandom and the book/movie worlds drawn from the seven Harry Potter novels, it's as if you're right there with her, being caught up in all the excitement: from public events to behind-the-scenes closed-door sessions, Melissa shares it all; and with its sense of immediacy, I found reading this book to be an intimate reading experience. The writing tone is in keeping with the infectious enthusiasm that characterizes most of Harry Potter fandom, and why fans are still, more than ever, pumped up about a boy named Harry. (And Severus Snape. And Professor Dumbledore. And the rest of the colorful characters in the wizarding world.)
A journalist with real-world credentials (she was a reporter for a New York newspaper), Melissa properly starts, and ends, the book with a discussion about the last Harry Potter novel, HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS. In coming full circle, there's a sense of closure, of course, and rightly so; but as 2008 has shown, Rowling has not retired, so there's more, much more, that is grist for the mill for a future edition: the publication of BEEDLE THE BARD, for one, and its eye-popping, record-setting price realized at auction for one of seven hand-written copies; and, of course, the Rowling/Warner Bros. vs. RDR Books trial, which was the subject of some of the looniest mainstream reportage I've ever read. (Like many others, I relied on The Leaky Cauldron for fair and balanced coverage. And it ain't over yet: RDR Books has filed an appeal.)
A bonus: There's also an eight-page photo insert (black-and-white photos), with some fascinating pictures: candid shots at Harry Potter fan events, photos of Rowling, and some photos of the author with some guy named Daniel Radcliffe, and Rowling herself + her PI (personal assistant), Fiddy Henderson.
At $16, the retail price, the book is a good buy, but at the discounted price on Amazon, it's a GREAT buy, and deserves a place in the library of anyone who has enjoyed the Harry Potter novels and wants a book that accurately puts the Harry Potter phenomenon in context.
Bottom line: This book is WELL worth your time and money, especially if you are too young to have been there when all of this went down, or if you're new to the Harry Potter world and want to know what all the fuss is about.
More than a history of fandom October 28, 2008
12 out of 14 found this review helpful
This is the perfect book for any Harry Potter fanatic; it provides a lovely stroll down memory lane. For the casual reader, it provides an insight into a world they may not have the patience or fanaticism to enter full time. As a Harry Potter fanatic, even I learned new things, especially about the fandom before I entered it.
Melissa also narrates her own personal story and how entwined it became with the world of Harry Potter. It's the perfect illustration about how a little imagination (and a lot of magic) can change your life.
Thank You, Melissa November 6, 2008
9 out of 11 found this review helpful
Everybody has a story about how they came to read the Harry Potter series. Everybody has a story about how they celebrated the series once they realized how powerful it was. And everybody has a story about how they felt about its eventual end. Each story is unique, in its way - but, they all share the same threads. The more we say them out loud, the more they sound the same...in a good way.
The fans that Harry gained before the release of "Deathly Hallows" knew that they were a part of something huge. And now, those fans who will never have to wait years between release dates - who will never know how much anticipation of a thing can influence the scope and greatness of the thing itself - can read all about it.
Melissa Anelli is the spokesperson for those of us who spent countless hours discussing, theorizing, converting...online, offline, in living rooms or at the bus stop. Even though she was "there" in contexts that many of us never got to be - she does a remarkable job at making the story she tells in "Harry: A History" OUR story: everyone's story all at once.
"Harry: A History" is the work of both an indispensable participant and an extremely talented narrator. I am impressed by Melissa's writing, and happy to add this book to its rightful place - on my 'Harry Potter' shelf at home.
A time when the world was facinated by a book November 10, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Melissa writes a very personal story that contains the History of the the Harry Potter Fandom. The tongue and cheek use of the title Harry a History is mislead leading. The subtitle really lets you know what the book is about. What inspired the heartfelt devotion to the Harry Potter fandom? This book tries to explain why some many people bought a series of books originally aimed at children, but expanded to almost anyone who could read. Anyone familiar with PotterCast and the Leaky Cauldron will buy the book. The casual fan will learn an interesting history of the monumental series. Mostly, everyone will be reminded of a time, in the face of computers, video games, television, and movies, when the world was facinated with reading the Harry Potter novels.
Makes me want to go back in time!!! November 11, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I came into Harry Potter Fandom a little late in the game. Melissa really made me wish I found it all sooner. What a ride it's been. Her book was a great hold-over between the last book and the next movie.
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