Rating: 
Summary: Go ahead, read it from cover to cover ...
Review: The introduction says the book isn't intended to be read from beginning to end; well, I did read it cover to cover, and I enjoyed it. There are an overwhelming number of magical terms in the Harry Potter series; this book makes it easy to keep track of them.For the youthful reader, there are great explanations of the root words of the terms used. The entries of the book are based on the substantial number of magical creatures and things in the Harry Potter novels and mentions the specific character or item the entry is associated and in which book of the series.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Informitave...
Review: This is a very good book with loads upon loads of information about most of the stuff in the Harry Potter books. I mean, just by reading them you wouldn't know that Mandrakes were feared by farmers, and that Morganna was a real peson. If your looking for for a guide on the monsters, animals, plants and practices of Harry Potter, this is the book for you!
Rating:
Summary: A Good Book
Review: I believe this is a good book because it has so many details about everything you learn about in Harry Potter. From broomsticks to wizards this is a wonderful guide to go along with reading the Harry Potter books.
Rating:
Summary: The best HP reference guide
Review: Of the paltry number of Harry Potter reference guides on the market, this is perhaps the best. It is better organised and more in depth than the overrated "Magical Worlds of Harry Potter," and better researched than Elizabeth Schaefer's terrible "adult" sourcebook. The information is accurate and concisely presented, and covers a wide range of subjects, from the nature of hippogriffs and goblins to the truth about the Dark Arts. The parts people are likely to find most interesting are the guides to the various forms of divination mentioned in the novels. There is much the book could have included, but what it did include was entertaining and informative. However, though it offered a glimpse into the brilliant mind of Harry's genius creator, it failed to do her complete justice; there are no references to Rowling's knowledge of Greco-Roman mythology for instance. One thing that really bothered me; in a long list of acknowledgements, there is not one mention of JK Rowling. At least the author of "Magical Worlds" knew who was buttering his bread. The difinitive Harry Potter reference guide has yet to be written, but until it is this work will open your eyes to a wider world and hopefully encourage younger people to research other topics.
Rating:
Summary: A good basic reference that tries to accomplish too much
Review: This book is a well-written basic reference to most of the mythological and historical references that show up in the first four Harry Potter books. Like several other reviewers, I also appreciate the tone in which the material is presented. However, though well-written and amusing in spots, this is definitely a REFERENCE book. Unless you're like Hermione, don't look at this as just a little bit of light reading. Then again, if you ARE like Hermione, you might be disappointed at the lack of depth to the coverage of any one topic. Or you might check out the reference list and read more...:)
Rating:
Summary: very well organised and well presented book
Review: This is a very well researched book. It is an encyclopedia of almost all things in Harry Potter. It talks about there history in folklore, literature, religion, culture and simply its general history as well. A few examples are faires, Hinkypunks, an extensive section on witches and witch burnings, a passage about why witches were women, animal persecutions (Buckbeak wasn't the first!),tea leaf reading, astrology, alchemy, divination, the real Nicholas Flamel, arithmancy, and definately not Harry's favourite, Potions. This book present fact and myth together, never getting boring. At the end of each topic, the exact situation in the novel of that topic is told. Reading Harry will never be the same, it will be better, now i understand where the marvellous JK Rowling got some of her ideas, and i will also have a deeper understanding of everything in the novels. A great guide to people who love fantasy and Harry Potter, as well as a wonderful reference for budding writers. A must read!
Rating:
Summary: great!
Review: For those who have always been crazy fans of Harry Potter, The Sorcerer's Companion would be a great book to let you know more about the world of magic. But if you're not, just take it as a bedside reading. And you'll find yourself addicted to it!
Rating: 
Summary: More detail than I wanted, but a good thorough book
Review: This book had some fascinating sections on what exactly Arithmancy is and how it works, the basics of palm and tea leaf reading, what the different planets are supposed to mean ("Mars is bright tonight".) But somehow it didn't keep my attention as I thought it would. It contained what I was looking for but then went into way more detail than I needed, until I felt like for most of the book I was trapped in Professor Binns' lectures on the history of magic and the full story of which cultures ever associated snakes or werewolves or broomsticks with magic and when. I honestly almost returned this, but I realized I would have wanted a handful of those pages and didn't know where else I might find that information. Colbert's Harry Potter companion book is far more entertaining, though less detailed. But if the history of magic is what you want, then this book is for you.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect for a Fanfic writer
Review: As a fanfiction writer for the world of Harry Potter, I'm in consant need of more and more information about the wizarding world. No book has given me as much information as this fabulous book. Pictures, descriptions, examples from book...everything to help you better understand creatures, studies, and magical items from books 1-4. That's what so great: THIS BOOK COVERS ALL FOUR BOOKS! The writer is gifted, and obviously knows what he's talking about. This book is difficult, though. It's not for younger children! If your thirteen and up (or have excellent reading skills) this is the perfect book about Harry Potter's magical world. I highly recommend it for someone who needs the information, or just wants it for fun.
Rating:
Summary: very good book, a great resource
Review: If you *really* want to know the background to the legends of HP, this is a great resource. Especially for fans running a website or writing fanfics.
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