Harry, A History: The True Story of a Boy Wizard, His Fans, and Life Inside the Harry Potter Phenomenon
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List Price:
$16.00
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$10.88
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Manufacturer: Pocket
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN: 9781416554950
ISBN: 1416554955
Label: Pocket
Manufacturer: Pocket
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 368
Publication Date: 2008-11-04
Publisher: Pocket
Studio: Pocket
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Editorial Reviews:
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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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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Comment: This book really should have been called "Melissa, A History" because it is basically a biography of the author Melissa Anelli. I had expected more behind-the-scenes info on Harry Potter, the books, the movies, and JK Rowling. Although there is some of that in this book, there is much more Melissa than Harry.
The subtitle of this book is, "The True Story of a Boy Wizard, His Fans, and Life Inside the Harry Potter Phenomenon". The promise of the true story of a boy wizard and life inside the Harry Potter phenomenon were very lacking. "His Fans" (specifically Melissa and her friends) was the bulk of this book. Unfortunately, I was primarily interested in the other two.
The book jumps around so unforgivenly at times it gets very confusing. A chronological approach would have made more sense. Melissa was actually on the movie sets and presumably spoke with the actors, producers, etc., but there is far too little of that in the book. The author also seems to expect that you are a rabid fan of the Leaky Cauldron web site, which she runs. I say this because she glosses over some blogs and interviews that were apparently posted on the web site, mentioning some fact and then moving on. She actually lists several questions asked of Ms. Rowling that I would have liked to seen the answers for, but apparently the reader is already supposed to know the answers.
I don't blame Melissa for cashing in on her position - writing a book is the way to go these days. I'm disappointed, because this book could have been something much better: better organized, better information, and, frankly, better writing.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Reading this was like sitting with an old friend....
Comment: and recalling that magical night in July of 2007, when all the speculation, theorizing hype had hit breaking point: the night of the book 7 release was a night few Potter fans will ever be able to forget.
Melissa's view into the inner-workings of Potterdom is one very few can claim, and she does an outstanding job of letting us see the world through her eyes. From telling us the story of how she went from a casual fan to the Webmistress of one of the world's most well-known Potter sites, to walking us step-by-step through the process that led to her interviewing JK Rowling, not once but several times, her passion and enthusiasm ring true and the reader has no choice but to cheer this roller-coaster of a ride through to its literary end.
Thank you Melissa, for compiling and sharing this amazing tale with us. I laughed, I cried, I went back in time to that night when the most important question in the world (or so it seemed) was Harry: Live? or Die? This is a book no Potter fan should miss, and every die-hard Potter-head should have in their collection.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Window Into The Harry Potter Fandom
Comment: You can't help but enjoy this book. It's an inside look into what is now known as "The Harry Potter Fandom". Even being apart of it all, you will still find yourself caught up in the way everything unfolded. Halfway through you find yourself cheering for the author and hoping she does indeed get that interview she dreams about (even though you know from reading the foreword she already had). It's a great read for everyone but especially great for Harry Potter Fans.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Fan of the Online Fandom
Comment: This book was what was missing from the library of Harry Potter companion literature. I am thrilled to finally see a book aimed at telling the story of the online Harry Potter community and how it helped to champion the books. I too discovered Leaky and Mugglenet, much the same way and still check it obsessively. Melissa's writing is funny, refreshing, and poignant. Harry, A History is for anyone who wants to know the other side of the story; the story written by millions of Harry Potter bloggers, fanfiction writers, and obsessive website checkers who made the online fandom what it is today, and hopefully what it will continue to be. When I read Melissa's story it's as if I am reading my own, and as if I'm discovering the joys of Harry all over again. Defiantly a must read and the perfect holiday gift for the Potter fan in your life!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good JKR / Harry Background
Comment: I haven't read the whole book, but eventually I will. Some parts are more the author's story than Harry's, but it's her book and her choice.
What I really liked about the book was the chapter describing how Jo Rowling sold her first-ever book, became JK Rowling, and turned the publishing world upside down. The story of the story is just as fascinating to me as the HP series. It never ceases to amaze me that such a well-written book was overlooked by many publishers.
I also like that chapter because it describes how the books built in popularity, mostly through word of mouth. Personally, I'm late to the party because I didn't start reading the books until after seeing the second movie. But I do recall seeing a newspaper photo showing children waiting at a book store at midnight for "The Goblet Of Fire" to be released. Little did I realize that when book 5 came out, I would be doing the same thing. In fact, I had just finished reading GOF when the publishing date of OOTP was announced a few days later.
The story of the author meeting JK Rowling was very interesting. It's every fan's dream come true. One fascinating event in the book was not hers but JKR's, describing herself standing in front of the Mirror Of Erised on her first trip to the movie set. I always pictured her being most excited by the Great Hall set, but seeing the prop mirror was powerful in an unexpected way. That was a tidbit that I hadn't heard before, which is one of the things that makes this book a treat.
This book is not the definitive Harry history, but it added more substance to what I already knew, so I am pleased with it. Perhaps I'll get around to reading the other chapters, but the ones I did read made my purchase worthwhile. But that's because I'm a HP fanatic.
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