Excitement and J.K.'s new Encyclopedia

Now comes news that not only is J.K. completing her first post-Potter novel for publication but she is also starting work on a Harry Potter Encyclopedia.

That is very exciting indeed. I have been working on my own HP Concordance, which catalogues all information provided in the seven novels about each character, place, magical spell or charm, institution, etc. and it is an incredibly challenging but interesting task. To be honest, I haven't looked at it in several months but, if memory serves, I had worked my way through the first three novels and had started on the fourth, The Goblet of Fire.

Rowling's Encyclopedia will, of course, supersede anything that I would have done and I'm interested to see the approach she will take and the breadth of the sources she will use: will she limit herself to information included in the novels themselves? will she include information from her own journals in planning the books so that we will learn more about our beloved characters, places and institutions? and how will she address conflicts between the information presented in the books and information presented in the film versions?

I am also absolutely certain that the eventual publication of the Harry Potter Encyclopedia, written by J.K. Rowling, will spark a cottage industry for fans like me in trying to find her errors. I have already found comments in Rowling's auxiliary books (specifically Quidditch Through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) tht I find to be of questionable accuracy when compared to information provided in the original novels so I have no doubt that we'll find any number of issues in the new Encyclopedia.

That's not intended to be a criticism of J.K.: I actually love these little issues and inconsistencies that make things even more interesting and exciting.

I haven't found a timeline for when we can expect this new tome from Rowling but I am already starting to feel the rise of excitement at the thought of having something new and authoritative to read on Harry Potter. Come on, J.K., please make this book a priority! We're all chomping at the bit to have the Harry Potter Encyclopedia in our hands!