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Harry, A History: The True Story of a Boy Wizard, His Fans, and Life Inside the Harry Potter Phenomenon | 
| Author: Melissa Anelli
Creator: J.k. Rowling
Publisher: Pocket
Category: Book
List Price: $16.00
Buy New: $10.88
You Save: $5.12 (32%)
Rating:  49 reviews
Sales Rank: 3143
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
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Product Description
Product Description:
***Featuring a Foreword by J.K. Rowling***
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 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 worlds 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. Rowlings editors, agents, publicists, fans, and Rowling herself, Melissa Anelli takes us on a personal journey through every aspect of the Harry Potter phenomenonfrom his very first spell to his lasting impact on the way we live and dream.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 44 more reviews...
 Your ESSENTIAL ringside seat to the Harry Potter phenomenon written by an insider, Melissa Anelli. October 23, 2008
53 out of 64 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.
 Disappointing November 17, 2008
37 out of 51 found this review helpful
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.
 Bogus, A History November 7, 2008
25 out of 99 found this review helpful
Well, let me be the first to wish this book had never been written! I can't believe I bought it. I can't believe that J. K. Rowling wrote a preface for it (that was the only reason I took a chance on this book) What a waste of money and time. I mean, who cares what phone call came and who left a message and when anyone learned the truth and what the author was thinking when she learned the truth. -- All I cared about was What is the story about Harry? I know the author is considered his greatest fan (probably she isn't) but really -- boring, ho hum, sigh and zzzzzzz. Who cares what she cares.
 Not What I Hoped For, But the Subtitle Should Have Warned Me December 3, 2008
21 out of 31 found this review helpful
Since I have never heard a podcast discussing Harry Potter, or engaged in an Internet chat, or written fanfic using Rowling's characters and settings (which just seems wrong to do anyway), this book was a disappointment because it's about this one girl who's interest in the book led to working on the Leaky Cauldron website, dealing with fans, traveling the country doing podcasts, and visiting England for Potter events and interviews with J.K. Rowling. She got very close to the author, and I would have rather read a collection of her interviews with the Rowling than most of this. But for some reason she doesn't include them here, just alludes to them. That's my biggest complaint. I was hoping this was a compendium of interviews done for the website over the years.
But it's not. It's a story about one young woman's unusual career path, and now she's getting a book out of it. She is a good writer, but since I don't know her friends or traveling companions (again, because I didn't follow the podcasts), a lot of this was of no interest to me.
More than a history of fandom October 28, 2008
18 out of 24 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.
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