Harry Potter: The Wand Collection
Hardcover
By Monique Peterson
Publisher: Insight Editions
Release date: November 14, 2017

“Every wand has a story of its own,” author Monique Peterson begins in her new book, Harry Potter: The Wand Collection. Admittedly, I’m hooked almost immediately. Still, I am not always one for the many informational index-style books published as part of the Harry Potter world. I like stories, depth, nostalgia in my Harry Potter books.

But Peterson does not disappoint, as this book is as visually appealing and easy to flip through as it is meaningful. There is certainly value added in the background information provided, which covers wand characteristics, the wandmakers, Ollivander, wand selection and Harry’s first wand, wand movement, and wand battles.

“You talk about wands as if they have feelings.” – Harry to Ollivander, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2. The quotes throughout this book are well-chosen and I’m starting to believe the wands really do have feelings; although I do own a wand of my own, procured from Ollivander’s at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter…so perhaps I’m a bit biased.

The marketing and production choices are excellent; shaped nearly like a wand case, the book’s long, thin pages are printed with lustrous images and descriptions of perfectly appropriate lengths. “The wand chooses the wizard, Mr. Potter. It’s not always clear why.” – Ollivander, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. We’ve heard this quote many times, but I think Harry Potter: The Wand Collection gives us a few more hints than we previously had as to the “why.”

The end of the book includes a handy wand index with thumbnail-sized images and listed lengths for each character. The conclusion quotes David Thewlis, who plays Professor Remus Lupin. I won’t give too much away, but the book eloquently states: “There is a reason why we love this wizarding world so much. We experience it with every aim of the wand.” Thewlis calls it “˜hope.'”

Like each book in the beloved original series, The Wand Collection once again meets practicality with the magic of it all.

Released on November 14, Harry Potter: The Wand Collection is available on online and in stores. Check out the photo gallery below for some images from the book.

Photo Gallery