Harry Potter exhibition at Central Library for 20th anniversary

There are 20 Harry Potter inspired displays across the UK which all launched this weekend at the same time as the Harry Potter exhibition at the British Library in London, and one of these is in Edinburgh.

So what will you see?

There are special panels inspired by the British Library exhibition with pictures of books, manuscripts and magical objects. There are also images from JK Rowling’s and Bloomsbury’s collections.

Herbs from the Royal Botanical Gardens (which may have magical properties) and some magical items from the archives held by the Central Library will also be on display.

There will be a programme of events to accompany the exhibition including a visit from the Scottish Owl Centre, some magic tutorials and stage make-up lessons. These are not all in the Central Library so check the Libraries events page for details.

BBC Two will be broadcasting an hour-long documentary at 9pm next Saturday 28 October 2017, Harry Potter: A History of Magic, charting the journey of the exhibition, from object selection by the curators to opening night, as well as exploring other historical magical traditions and folklore and including interviews with J.K. Rowling and Jim Kay.

The British Library has developed the displays in collaboration with public libraries through the Living Knowledge Network which involves the National Library of Scotland.

In London 30,000 tickets have been sold for the exhibition at the British Library which the organisers say breaks all pre-sale records.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8f6LRxDkKU?feature=oembed&w=696&h=392]

This celebration marks the 20th anniversary of the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and puts together British Library treasures with original material from that held by Bloomsbury and JK Rowling.

Councillor Ian Perry, Education, Children and Families Convener, said: “This fantastic display is set to capture the minds of Harry Potter fans young and old, so we’re extremely pleased to be working with the British Library to bring its magic to the capital.

“As an ancient city, Edinburgh itself is steeped in folklore, so it is particularly fitting to bring the book’s enchantment to our historic Central Library. What’s more, we’ll be running a range of exciting events across the city in celebration of the exhibition, which I would thoroughly recommend.”

Roly Keating, Chief Executive of the British Library said of the project:

“We are delighted to be working with 20 different public libraries across the UK to share our exhibition, Harry Potter: A History of Magic. The Living Knowledge Network is all about sharing resources, skills and ideas to make our intellectual heritage available to everyone and here we’ve championed what lies at the heart of the Harry Potter stories that resonates deeply with people across the country to achieve this. The roll-out truly encapsulates the convening power of bringing local and national treasures together through the partners.”