Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Covers, Frontispiece, and Title Pages

Notes and links by Steve Vander Ark and Michele L. Worley
Assistant page editor: Trish Drasnin

About the Dedication:

Peter Rowling is JKR's father. Mr. Ridley, apparently a family friend, is the person who Ron is named after, so we might assume that his first name was Ron or Ronald. Susan Sladden is most likely the elderly woman named Susan who befriended Jo at church. Susan would babysit Jessica and tell Jo to "get out a little, kick up her heels, see an art show, do some window shopping," but Jo would invariably write instead.

Original Bloomsbury cover art:

The original Bloomsbury cover by Giles Greenfield

Original Scholastic cover art:

The U.S. cover was painted by Mary GrandPré. It is unusual in that it does not feature the first task, as do most editions.

The background of the picture is the maze of the third task viewed from ground level (hence the predominantly green colour of the picture) with distant stands full of spectators projecting above the maze on the front cover. However, the picture is not an image of any specific portion of the third task, but is a collection of images, with Harry standing at the center of the front cover, holding the golden egg from the First Task in the crook of his right arm while holding his wand aloft in his left hand.

A huge tail covered with spikes - the tail of a Hungarian Horntail - trails along the bottom of the picture across both the back and front covers and out of the frame. Above it, at the left edge of the back cover, part of a wing projects into the frame. A different creature's head is visible just behind the wing, while a pair of red eyes is just visible in the depths of the maze. At the top of the back cover the Beauxbatons carriage can be seen coming in for a landing (though driven by someone wearing a top hat rather than by Madame Maxime). A hand projects from one of the hedges toward the center of the picture (the right-hand edge of the back cover) holding the Goblet of Fire.

On the front cover behind Harry, clockwise from the bottom, are Fleur, an acromantula in the far background (partly obscured by Fleur's hair ribbon), and Viktor Krum. The stands are just visible above and behind Viktor's head. Continuing on the other side of Harry, more of the stands are visible with what looks like a Dementor on the far right. Below the stands on this side are Cedric Diggory and (behind him, just looking over a hedge) Padfoot.

Frontispiece

• Bloomsbury/Raincoast edition: Hogwarts coat of arms

• Scholastic edition: image of the Goblet of Fire resting on its coffer

Title pages:

Pertinent text from the title pages: [image]

First published in Great Britain in 2000
Copyright Text Joanne Rowling 2000
Copyright cover illustration Giles Greenfield 2000