I usually write about dance and theatre, but flying on a broomstick is just like dancing and is equally theatrical, right?
“Harry Potter: A History of Magic” at New-York History Soceity is eye opening, mind boggling, and outright incredible!!!
Did you know that there is a *REAL* recipe for the Philosopher’s Stone? You can see the instructions, originally created circa 1570, inscribed on a scroll that unfurls over 20 feet, and is the only one of 22 known to exist, at the exhibit. (Sorcerer’s Stone if you read the American version of the Harry Potter books.)
Did you know Nicholas Flamel, rumored to have discovered the Philosopher’s Stone, is a *REAL* person? He died in 1418, but you can also see his tombstone from the church of Saint-Jacques-de-la Boucherie in Paris at the exhibit, too.
What else is on display?
J. K. Rowling’s handwritten drafts of the Harry Potter books, including an alternate opening chapter.
A specimen of the mandrake except in the real world it doesn’t actually scream; it’s just poisonous.
… and many many more fascinating facts about the magical world.
Thanks Shana Fung for inviting me to the show!
