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"Because that's what Hermione does...When in doubt, go to the library."
     -- Ron Weasley

Like to buy from Amazon.com? Use the link above to go there and a percentage of your purchase will go to support the Lexicon!

I have read a lot of the books which have come out about Harry Potter in the last year or so. Frankly, some of them are so poorly researched that I could barely make it through them without screaming. Some are obviously just someone's attempt to cash in on the "Harry Potter craze." But a few are truly excellent. I've added links to these books below. I also have added links for a few other items which might be of interest. All of these links will take you to Amazon.com where you can order them. The advantage to doing so from these links is that a little of the proceeds come back to me and support the Lexicon. I don't allow any advertising at all (and believe me, I've had some pretty wild offers!) because I see this site as an educational resource and I welcome schools to link to it for their students. As a teacher and librarian myself, I try very hard to find sites for my kids to use that don't try to sell them things, show them banner ads in questionable taste when they least expect it, pop up endless windows on their screens, or try to fool them with things that look like Windows message boxes. So obviously I'm not going to be very keen to allow that sort of thing on my own site. This is a way, then, that I can control what little commercialization there is here. If you're a fan of the Lexicon and would like to help out, please consider making a purchase. But however you get them, these books are well worth the read!

Thanks,
Steve

The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter
by David Colbert
Even if you buy no other Potter-related books at all, buy this one. Colbert gets it right. He doesn't wallow in the history of real magic and witchcraft, which really has almost nothing to do with the Harry Potter books, or try to over-analyze every phrase and pull ridiculous connections out of thin air. Instead he takes his reader along on a very entertaining tour of the mythology and folklore which provided Rowling so much of the rich "set dressing" of the Potter tales. The sidebars include quotes from Rowling and other extras...kind of like you'll find here in the Lexicon! This is a book which should be on every Harry Potter fan's shelf.

Colbert's book makes an excellent reader's companion to the Lexicon. Throughout the Lexicon you will find references from this book. These are indicated by this icon: and the page numbers on which you can find more information on the topic in question. All page references are from the Berkley trade paperback edition, June 2002.

SVA's Review of The Hidden Key to Harry Potter by John Granger

What's A Christian To Do With Harry Potter
by Connie Neal
I know that Harry Potter can be a confusing topic for many Christians. I have read article after article trying to "prove" one point of view or another. All they've proven is that Christians don't agree. This excellent book approaches the whole question from a fresh point of view: How should Christians handle situations like this where they honestly disagree with each other? Connie Neal's book should be required reading for ALL Christians, no matter which view you hold or which controversy you find yourself mired in.

By way of contrast, please DON'T buy the book Harry Potter and the Bible: The Menace Behind the Magick. This is a nasty, vicious book with no sense of either Christian charity or reasoned thought about it. And above all, the Bible teaches that we must have both of those things when we deal with difficult issues.

J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter Novels: A Reader's Guide
by Philip Nel
I haven't read this book yet, so you might wonder why I'd include it here on my recommended list. The answer is simply that some of my closest online friends, folks whose opinions I have come to trust, have recommended Philip Nel's book. I guess the fact that I have also corresponded with Philip himself and that he has contributed to the Lexicon doesn't hurt either.