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'J.K. Rowling Bibliography' reveals behind-the-scenes 'Harry Potter' stories

'Bibliography,' which will be released in the US in April, includes details about alternate titles considered and also tells readers which 'Harry Potter' book Rowling got 'sick' of reading after many edits.

'J.K. Rowling: A Bibliography' is by Philip W. Errington.
  • By Molly Driscoll Staff Writer

A new bibliography for J.K. Rowling’s work is reportedly revealing more about the “Harry Potter” author’s writing process and including some fun facts for fans.

“J.K. Rowling: A Bibliography 1997-2013” was released in late February in the UK and is coming to the US in April. According to publisher Bloomsbury, the book has “complete bibliographic details of each edition of all her books, pamphlets and original contributions to published works, there is detailed information on the publishing history of her work, including fascinating extracts from correspondence.” 

One thing readers are learning from the book, according to the Guardian, is that Rowling got “sick” of the third “Potter” book, “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” after a long editing process. “Finally!” Rowling wrote in a letter to her editor Emma Matthewson. “I’ve read this book so much I’m sick of it, I never read either of the others over and over again when editing them, but I really had to this time,” writing in a separate letter, “I am so sick of re-reading this one that I’ll be hard put to smile when it comes to doing public readings from it. But perhaps the feeling will have worn off by next summer.” 

In addition, according to “Bibliography,” alternate titles to the fourth installment, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,’” included “Harry Potter and the Death Eaters,” “Harry Potter and the Fire Goblet,” and “Harry Potter and the Three Champions.” 

“Bibliography” also includes information on a song that ghost Nearly Headless Nick was to have delivered in the second book “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,” a section that was cut from the narrative. (It’s now online.)

The book is more than 500 pages and the author, Philip W. Errington, is director for children's books in the department of printed Books and manuscripts at Sotheby's.

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