Book #41: Quidditch Through the Ages by J.K. Rowling
Quidditch Through the Ages by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a book that J.K. Rowling wrote for comic relief; a history to the fictional sport that she created for the Harry Potter series, and one of the most iconic parts of the books and films.
As the foreword, supposedly by Hogwarts head Albus Dumbledore, states:
"Quidditch through the ages is one of the most popular titles in the Hogwarts school library. Madam Pince, our libratian, tells me that it is 'pawed about, dribbled on and general maltreated' nearly every say - a high compliment for any book.
Because the gimmick behind this book is that it's been made available to Muggles for the first time, he does add that Quidditch "is, of course, an entirely fictional sport and nobody really plays it".
I could tell that J.K. had great fun writing this, and her vivid imagination showed throughout the book, as she described all sorts of things, including common moves by Quidditch players and different types of broom, including some mentioned in the Harry Potter series.
My favourite story was about how the golden snitch came into being, starting with a rare golden bird that flew onto the Quidditch pitch, resulting in the players attempting to catch it. This was deemed to be such a good idea that a bird was released during each match, until it was deemed too cruel, so it was replaced with an enchanted object.
This book is quite short, and can be read in just one sitting, and definitely a must for any Harry Potter obsessive.
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