- "Oh, the thrill of the chase as I soar through the air
With the Snitch up ahead and the wind in my hair
As I draw ever closer, the crowd gives a shout
But then comes a Bludger and I am knocked out." - —Ingolfr the Iambic, 1400s Norway[src]
Quidditch Through the Ages is a book written by J. K. Rowling for the Comic Relief U.K. charity in 2001. Written under the pseudonym Kennilworthy Whisp, it is meant to be a copy of the in-universe book Quidditch Through the Ages. The premise is that the book has been released to the Muggle world to help raise money for needy causes. It features a foreword by Albus Dumbledore, in which he stresses the only way he was able to take it from Irma Pince—Librarian of the Hogwarts Library—was to "prise her fingers individually from the spine."
The first page is meant to look like a library borrowing log, which features the names of many Hogwarts Quidditch players. The name H. Granger appears near the bottom, as she took it out in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, before the first broom riding lesson. The other names are O. Wood, B. Dunstan, M. Flint, C. Diggory, A. Johnson, E. Macmillan, T. Boot, S. Fawcett, K. Bundy, K. Bell, C. Warrington, J. Dorny, T. Nott, S. Capper, M. Bulstrode, F. Weasley, and H. Potter. However, in the 2009 edition (UK) these names are listed in the library borrowing log, in this order: R. Weasley, N. Longbottom, S. Bones, H. Granger, Padma Patil, E. Macmillan, M. Bulstrode, H. Granger (again), and Draco Malfoy.
The copyright page features Praise for Quidditch Through the Ages, with commentary by wizarding celebrities Bathilda Bagshot, Brutus Scrimgeour, Gilderoy Lockhart, Ludo Bagman, Rita Skeeter and the Editor of Which Broomstick.
Chapters[]
- The Evolution of the Flying Broomstick
- Ancient Broom Games
- The Game from Queerditch Marsh
- The Arrival of the Golden Snitch
- Anti-Muggle Precautions
- Changes in Quidditch since the Fourteenth Century
- Quidditch Teams of Britain and Ireland
- The Spread of Quidditch Worldwide
- The Development of the Racing Broom
- Quidditch Today
Behind the scenes[]
- A discrepancy in the in-universe book is that although Harry had the book in his first year (1991-1992), there is an event listed that occurred in 1994. It is, however, possible, that the "real" edition was updated.
- This book is available in the Muggle world (Dumbledore writes that everything is "fictional"), for the purpose of raising money.