Clear Answers for Common Questions

At the top of many bestseller lists even five months before publication, the last book in the enormously successful Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is triggering mixed feelings in fans all over the world. The book, scheduled to be available for purchase on 21 July 2007 ...

Listing the top selling books of all times is a bit challenging. For example, some might list the top selling novels of all time, or include all types of writing as a book. Several reputable list makers, including Amazon, say that the two best selling books are The Bible and ...

In its most common usage, the term mania refers to episodes of severely elevated mood, usually associated with bipolar disorder. However, the suffix -mania, which suggests an obsession or madness, is used to denote a large number of psychological disturbances known collectively as manias. In bipolar disorder, episodes of general ...

An on-sale date is a publishing term which refers to the date when a particular book or magazine will go on sale. The term is also used by the recording and film industries for new releases of albums and films. On-sale dates popularly occur on Tuesdays in all ...

Harry Potter, the beloved character created by J.K. Rowling, ended his career after the final novel was released, but he did not die. Fans knew the seventh and final book would mostly concern the defeat of Harry's nemesis, Lord Voldemort, but questions and theories continued regarding whether Harry ...

Fawkes the phoenix is an integral character in the Harry Potter novels, in addition to being the pet of Dumbledore. At the close of the sixth book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Dumbledore dies, and Fawkes appears to leave Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as well. Many ...

Readers of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince were dismayed by the apparent death of Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, Chief Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. He is a crucial character in the Harry Potter books and in the development of ...

In the Harry Potter books, Severus Snape is one of the most enigmatic characters, and it is extremely difficult for readers to determine where his loyalties lie. A note of slimy evil seems to accompany him in many of the books, even when it is clearly demonstrated that he has ...

The Harry Potter books written by J.K. Rowling feature a large assortment of magical potions designed to do things like re-grow bones, force people to tell the truth, change a person's physical shape, or make someone fall in love. Some potions are only briefly mentioned, while others ...

A variety of methods of magical transportation are used by characters in the Harry Potter books, ranging from difficult apparation to the Knight Bus. Depending on the age of the witch or wizard, his or her level of skill, and how quickly they need to travel, an assortment of magical ...

In the Harry Potter books, an unforgivable curse is a curse which results in severe damage or death to the witch or wizard that it is performed on. If convicted of casting such a curse, the sentence is life imprisonment in Azkaban, the wizarding prison. Only three curses are considered ...

Quidditch is the fantastic sport created by J.K. Rowling in her series of Harry Potter books. Rowling further explored the origins of the sport in a short book specifically devoted to Quidditch, Quidditch through The Ages. The great popularity of the Harry Potter books has led muggles, or non ...

The Mirror of Erised is a magical object which is prominently featured in the first Harry Potter novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (released in the United States as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone). The name of the object is actually a clever pun, as the ...

A pensieve is a magical item in the Harry Potter books which is used by characters to gather and process their memories, or to remove the burden of excess memories. Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, owns one, and lends it to Severus Snape during Harry ...

The idea of a Philosopher's Stone is a common one in European mythology. J.K. Rowling borrowed the idea of an alchemically created stone with magical properties for her popular Harry Potter series. In the Harry Potter books, there is only one Philosopher's Stone, created by Nicolas Flamel ...

The term horcrux is an invention of J.K. Rowling, first mentioned in the sixth Harry Potter novel, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Creating a horcrux occurs when one rips the soul by committing an intensely evil act, such as murder. The portion of the soul ripped away ...

In the Harry Potter books, Gringotts is the wizarding bank run by goblins, although it hires humans as well. Gringotts appears to be the only bank in the wizarding world, and only one branch, located in Diagon Alley, is discussed in the books. Gringotts works in the way that deposit ...

In the Harry Potter series, wizards who have committed serious crimes are imprisoned in Azkaban, the wizarding prison. It appears that the wizarding world has a justice system which is completely separate from the muggle world, but includes parallels such as courts and prisons. Given the size of the wizarding ...

In the Harry Potter books, the Department of Mysteries is a department within the Ministry of Magic which focuses on covert research and possibly development as well. Little is known about the workings of the Department of Mysteries within the general wizarding community, making the department analogous to other top ...

The Order of the Phoenix is a fictional organization created by JK Rowling for her series of Harry Potter. It consists of a group of wizards who band together to fight against Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Within the framework of the books, the Order of the Phoenix is ...

Hogwarts is the school of witchcraft and wizardry invented by J.K. Rowling in the Harry Potter books. Most of the action of the novels takes place in Hogwarts, which, aside from the magical instruction, is similar in structure to most European boarding schools. The Hogwarts school year runs from ...

In the popular Harry Potter series of fantasy novels by JK Rowling, an Auror is a specially trained employee of the Ministry of Magic who tracks Dark Wizards and brings them to justice. Aurors are extremely talented and committed individuals, representing some of the most highly educated and trained wizards ...

In the Harry Potter universe, an animagus is a wizard who can transform into an animal. The magic required is quite complex, and it can go badly if the wizard is not experienced enough to handle the transformation. As a result, the Ministry of Magic regulates animagi, requiring them to ...

In the Harry Potter novels, an Inferius is an animated corpse, much like a zombie. Called Inferi in plural form, they are unable to think for themselves, existing solely to complete an assigned task. The ability to create an Inferius is classified as Dark Magic, because they are usually used ...

In the magical world created within the Harry Potter books written by J.K. Rowling, a muggle is an individual who does not have magical powers. The majority of the world is inhabited by muggles, who go about living their daily lives utterly oblivious to the wizarding world which is ...

A mermaid is a mythical sea creature with the head and torso of a human woman and the tail of a fish. The male version is known as a merman, and the generic term is merfolk. The mermaid appears in folklore from all over the world, including Europe, the Middle ...

A werewolf is a mythological creature that is sometimes a person and sometimes a wolf, usually believed to prey on people. In different versions of folklore, the werewolf is either a magician or the object of a curse. In much modern literature and film, the werewolf is said to shape ...

Being caught between the Scylla and Charybdis means to be caught in a situation that is extremely challenging. There is no good way to get through the situation, and any choice one makes will engender losses. The metaphor is comparable to the phrase being caught between a rock and a ...

The Hero's Journey is a group of events in a story or myth, used by Joseph Campbell, who was influenced by Jung, to describe the similar elements in all mythic structures. In each story that represents a Hero's Journey, the hero must experience steps that represent the struggle ...

Whereas many discuss literary works objectively, absolutely and with respect to how the author developed the ideas on the page, reader response criticism focuses on the reader and how she or he receives the literary work. In a sense, this moves the text from existing on its own — on ...

The self-fulfilling prophecy is a statement that alters actions and therefore comes true. For example, a person stating “I’m probably going to have a lousy day,” might alter his actions so that such a prediction is fulfilled by his actions. This may be an unconscious gesture. A person ...

Fanfiction, also called fanfic, is fiction that has been written by people who are fans of a particular television series, movie or book. The text can be printed or written on paper, but modern examples are often published on the Internet. This material might violate copyright laws but, but copyright ...

Fan Literature, sometimes called Fan Lit or FanLit, is a genre of writing. FanLit can take numerous forms. Often FanLit is an extension of a popular book or series written by fans who desire more background to the story. FanLit is sometimes sexually explicit, and is identified as “slash fiction ...

J.K. Rowling is the adored British author of the Harry Potter series of books. Her rise to fame has a touch of magic to it, given that she composed much of her first work, Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone in poverty, often planning out her chapters in ...

Kenneth Branagh is an award winning actor and director, whose most significant contributions to film have been his productions of several of Shakespeare’s plays. As an actor, he has received critical notice for his portrayal of Franklin D. Roosevelt in the HBO production Warm Springs, and received an Emmy ...

A pseudonym is a fictitious name most often associated with authors, though actors, singers, rappers, and even those in organized crime often use a pseudonym in lieu of the birth name. Pseudonyms are also used for practical reasons when the real name is not known, as in the case of ...

Treacle tart is a popular dessert in the UK. It has become somewhat of a curiosity in other countries due to its frequent mention in the Harry Potter books. Treacle tart is in fact, Harry’s favorite dessert. For most anyone not British, great misunderstanding exists about treacle tart. Many ...

Spotted dick is a baked pudding with primary ingredients of flour, currants, golden sugar, rum, and suet. Suet is traditionally made from raw beef fat, though vegetarians may take heart since suet can also be made from a combination of vegetable fats. Most often, however, suet in this dish is ...

A balaclava is a combination head and neck covering that provides a great deal of warmth. One most commonly sees them on skiers or worn as a part of military outfitting to reduce the wearer’s visibility to others. To US English speakers, the term is not very common, and ...

Jelly beans are a type of candy popular throughout the world. They are believed to be derived from the Middle-Eastern confection Turkish delight and have been popular in the United States since at least the mid-19th century. There are two major styles of jelly bean. The first, commonly ...

Bluescreen is a special effects process used in film, television, video and more recently, the world of computers. Bluescreen, greenscreent, or bluescreen imaging, is used to create the illusion of a background that isn't actually there when filming takes place. Hollywood blockbusters such as Star Wars and the Harry ...

In the movie industry, the quality of a film is referred to as its “production value.” Films with a higher budget will usually have a high production value, because of the greater investment of resources. It is the goal of most movie makers to make films that are stylish, attractive ...

Boarding schools are private schools where children live in dormitories and eat in cafeterias for ten months out of the year. Since tuition to boarding schools is comparable to that of college, enrollment is usually limited to those whose parents can afford it. Some scholarships are available for those who ...

A clique is a social group most often seen in junior high or high school settings, and generally more often noted among girls than boys. However, adults can certainly belong to a clique as well, and one might see these characteristics displayed particularly in the upper echelons of society. The ...

Bullying is a sad fact of life for a large number of people. Commonly associated with playground children, bullying can lead to problems in later life. If a child is a victim of continual bullying, he or she may have problems with confidence and self-esteem in adulthood. Bullying at ...

The very best way to get kids to do anything is to teach them through example. Occasionally, turn off the TV and sit down with a good book. Doing so will help your children learn how important reading is, and you won't have to say a word. It is ...

A child who reads is a child who usually does well in school, is a good speller, has higher critical thinking skills, and has a greater pool of general knowledge. Children should be encouraged to read every day, and as soon as they can turn the pages of a picture ...

Teachers, like most people, often have too much clutter, so when considering what gifts to buy for them at the end of the year, students should think about purchasing something useful, helpful, or geared toward a teacher’s hobbies. Gift certificates make great teacher gifts. These can be for a ...