Are you looking for the Best Harry Potter Illustrated Book Edition? Are you a Harry Potter fan, too?
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Harry Potter, as we’ve so often heard, taught an entire generation to fall in love with reading. The first installment in J.K. Rowling’s groundbreaking series – Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone – was published in 1997. Teenagers literally lined up outside of bookstores on release days to try and buy copies. Twenty years later, the original fans are now adults and show no signs of letting go of their childhood hero, and are ready to share the series with their children.
Harry Potter illustrated books make elegant additions to Harry Potter book collections and perfect gifts for readers of all ages who love the series. Reading Harry Potter books, most of us painted pictures in our heads of each chapter. Illustrated editions give fans vivid imagery that feeds their imagination and enriches their magical journey. With so many beautiful Harry Potter illustrated book editions out there, it can be hard to choose just one. Many talented artists have created unforgettable and elaborate paintings to accompany Rowling’s writing, and most of them are still in the process of completing the series.
To help you choose the perfect one for you, I’ve compiled a list of the best Harry Potter illustrated book editions ever created.
1. Harry Potter Illustrated Edition by Jim Key
Publisher: Bloomsbury and Scholastic
The Harry Potter illustrated book edition created by award-winning artist Jim Kay is arguably the most recognized out there. Jim Kay has so far illustrated the first 5 books in the series, with the 6th coming out in 2023.
His illustrated books are big and magnificent, with large, intricate artwork throughout. His artistry is somehow dark and mystical, which is why most Harry Potter fans believe Key’s work to be the most faithful to the books. Kay takes some of the most intense Harry Potter moments and draws them exactly how many of us imagined them inside our heads.
There are so many details to absorb, that every time you pick these volumes up you end up seeing something new.
2. Harry Potter Illustrated Edition by Minalima Design
Publisher: Bloomsbury or Scholastic
If Jim Kay’s work looks like the books, MinaLima’s illustrations look just like the movies. This, by the way, isn’t surprising at all, because MinaLima is the studio behind the vision and the graphic elements of the Harry Potter film series.
To speak of illustration is in all honestly a euphemism for these beautiful books which feature interactive animations. They are called ‘interactive’ because you can actually engage with some of the pages, from ticking clocks to other Hogwarts-style magical elements.
Going through these pages full of works of art and surprises, one realizes that the duo behind MinaLima studio may have actually invented a new printed language.
MinaLima Sorcerer’s Stone (Book 1), and Chamber of Secrets (Book 2), are the only ones currently available for purchase, but the studio will continue knocking out each book in the series piece by piece, so make sure to follow their website and keep up with the launches.
Frequently asked questions:
How many of the Harry Potter books are illustrated?
Jim Kay has so far illustrated five of the seven books in the Harry Potter series, with the latest Order of the Phoenix released in October 2022. The Illustrated Edition of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (book six) will follow in 2023.
MinaLima has so far illustrated only two of the seven Harry Potter books, with the Chamber of Secrets released back in October 2021. The Illustrated Edition of the Prisoner of Azkaban should follow in 2023.
MinaLima vs Jim Kay Illustrated Edition: which one is the best?
Both editions are absolutely brilliant and add layers of magic to the Harry Potter series in different ways.
Kay’s illustrated books are very detailed, intense, large, and heavy, ideal for sitting at a table when you have the time to really explore and study the immense artwork. It’s also much more adult and dark in content, and more similar to the books.
The illustrated books by MinaLima are, on the contrary, compact, fun and charming, and can be read pretty much anywhere, even before bedtime with your kids. The cover is very elegant, while the interactive elements inside the books are absolutely ingenious and can be appreciated by both adults and children alike.
Looking for a good, not-illustrated Harry Potter edition? ↓
3. Harry Potter Classic Edition by Mary GrandPré (not illustrated)
Publisher: Scholastic
If you were one of the fortunate kids of the 90s that managed to get a hold of the first edition prints of the Harry Potter series, you must be already familiar with Mary GrandPré. American artist Mary GrandPré has designed the book covers the US editions of all seven Harry Potter books. According to many, GrandPre was the first person to ever read Harry Potter books, straight off the bat, before anyone in the public saw them, in order to prepare the sketches required for the covers.
While this collection is NOT fully illustrated, it’s a timeless classic that every true Harry Potter fan owns.
What’s your favorite Harry Potter illustrated book? What are, in your opinion, the best Harry Potter illustrated books?
Tags: best Harry Potter illustrated books; illustrated Harry Potter book
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