NEWARK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Audible Inc., the world’s largest seller and producer of downloadable audiobooks and other spoken-word entertainment, today announced the forthcoming release of Harry Potter: A History of Magic, published by Pottermore Publishing. An original non-fiction audiobook that reveals some of the hidden stories behind real-world magic and explores some of J.K. Rowling’s magical inventions alongside their folkloric, cultural and historical forebears. The recording reflects the exhibition of the same name which ran at the British Library last year and will run at the New-York Historical Society in the United States October 5, 2018 – January 27, 2019, with a selection of objects not featured in London that are on view to the public for the very first time. Narrated by Natalie Dormer, whose stage and screen roles include Margaery Tyrell in Game of Thrones and Cressida in The Hunger Games, Harry Potter: A History of Magic will release on October 4th and is currently available for preorder exclusively at www.audible.com/historyofmagic.
Throughout Harry Potter: A History of Magic, Dormer leads listeners through an audio journey like no other, delving into real-world magical texts and artifacts. From Ethiopian charms and Chinese oracle bones, to the story of Nicolas Flamel and Smelly Nelly’s black moon crystal ball, listeners will be transfixed by tales of magical history and mystical traditions from all over the world, many of which they will recognize from the Harry Potter books that they know and love. Featuring exclusive interviews with series narrators Jim Dale and Stephen Fry, illustrators Jim Kay and Olivia Lomenech Gill, and curators from the British Library and New-York Historical Society, Harry Potter: A History of Magic illuminates both the Wizarding World and the creative process behind the development of the beloved Harry Potter stories.
“I’ve always adored the Harry Potter books, but it wasn’t until I started speaking with the British Library’s curators – hearing about the various myths, legends and cultures that have helped shape the wizarding world – that I really began to appreciate the richness and depth of J. K. Rowling’s writing,” said Dormer. “There are so many wonderful details to explore and A History of Magic unearths some remarkable gems of information that are sure to have listeners awestruck. It’s been fun to join the Wizarding World family.”
“From the first time we spoke to the curators at the British Library and the New-York Historical Society, it was clear that the magical artifacts in the exhibition held so many hidden stories,” said Ann Scantlebury, Development Editor at Pottermore Publishing. “In this audiobook we have been able to delve a little bit deeper to hear about scandals and intrigues, seven reasons why a werewolf might attack, a witch flying a broomstick backwards, and a cautionary tale of an exploding cauldron. Fans of Harry Potter are in for a treat too – Jim Dale, Stephen Fry, Jim Kay, and Olivia Lomenech Gill give us great insight and some fantastic stories of how they created their own interpretations of the Wizarding World.”
“We are thrilled to offer Audible listeners the opportunity to enjoy a brilliant performance of yet another essential component of the Wizarding World,” said Audible EVP and Publisher Beth Anderson. “Natalie’s narration and the wealth of informative and inspiring interviews really bring listeners deep into the rich magical heritage of the Harry Potter stories and beyond. Ever since we first made the Harry Potter series available in Audible 2015, they have been consistently among the highest rated and most listened to audiobooks in our store.”
A special audio tour to accompany the Harry Potter: A History of Magic exhibition at New-York Historical, featuring Dormer’s voice, will be available to ticketholders as a free Audible download, offering in-depth content on fascinating objects throughout the exhibition galleries.
ABOUT AUDIBLE, INC.
Audible, Inc., an Amazon.com, Inc. subsidiary (NASDAQ:AMZN), is the leading provider of premium digital spoken audio content, offering customers a new way to enhance and enrich their lives every day. Audible was created to unleash the emotive music in language and the habituating power and utility of verbal expression. Audible content includes more than 425,000 audio programs from leading audiobook publishers, broadcasters, entertainers, magazine and newspaper publishers, and business information providers. Audible is also the provider of spoken-word audio products for Apple’s iTunes Store.
ABOUT POTTERMORE PUBLISHING
Pottermore Publishing is the global digital publisher of the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts series as well as other audiobooks and eBooks from the Wizarding World. It aims to lead the way in innovative digital publishing and to bring new generations of readers together with long-standing fans, celebrating and bringing to life the stories that first began with the Boy Who Lived.