Updated August 3, 2017
New York (June 26, 2017) – To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the publication of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, The New York Academy of Medicine Library has launched a special digital collection, “From Basilisks to Bezoars: The Surprising History of Harry Potter’s Magical World.” Featuring rare books dating back to the 15th century, the collection reveals the history behind many of the creatures, plants and other magical elements that appear in the Harry Potter series, from mandrakes to basilisks to Nicholas Flamel and the philosopher’s stone itself.
“The Academy is committed to enhancing access to our Library’s world-class collections through digitization,” said Academy President Jo Ivey Boufford, MD. “With our Hogwarts collection, we are pleased to be sharing some of the important historical texts in science and medicine whose content appears in J.K. Rowling's fiction, and hope that her fans young and old will enjoy a glimpse of these treasures.”
The digital collection is organized as a fictional study aid for Hogwarts students preparing for their important magical exams, the O.W.L.s. The collection is organized into seven Hogwarts courses, featuring historical content related to each area of magical study. For example, the Care of Magical Creatures section features spectacular centuries-old drawings of dragons, unicorns and basilisks (mythical reptiles), while the Transfiguration section focuses on alchemy and the work of Nicholas Flamel—a historical figure who is fictionalized in Rowling’s books.
While the History of Magic taught at Hogwarts is largely fictional, the Academy Library contains books in the real-life history of magic, including the 1658 manual Natural Magick by Giovanni Battista della Porta and a book on witch-hunting by della Porta’s rival, Jean Bodin—two highlights of the digital collection. Another featured treasure is an actual bezoar (a giant hairball from the stomach of a cow, and a key potions ingredient used by Hogwarts students) owned by the library.
“J.K. Rowling’s beloved Harry Potter series incorporates many of the stories and superstitions from early scientific writers eager to understand the natural world,” said Anne Garner, the library’s curator. “As in Rowling’s books, our Library’s historical collections contain accounts of fantastical beasts and plants, where we find mandrakes with human bodies, documented sightings of centaurs, and phoenixes who burst into flames and are reborn. We’re delighted to share these historical gems with Potter fans worldwide through our new digital collection.”
Earlier this month, the library launched a new digital collections website, which makes it easy for the public to access and explore highlights of its world-class historical collections in the history of medicine and public health. Highlights include the Apicius manuscript with 500 Greek and Roman recipes dating to 2nd century Rome and some as early as 4th century BCE Greece, beautiful anatomical images printed from the sixteenth-century woodblocks used in Andreas Vesalius’ De Humani corporis Fabrica and striking botanicals from William P. C. Barton’s Vegetable Materia Medica.
About The New York Academy of Medicine Library
The Academy is home to one of the most significant historical libraries in medicine and public health in the world, safeguarding the heritage of medicine to inform the future of health. The Library is dedicated to building bridges among an interdisciplinary community of scholars, educators, clinicians, and the general public, and fills a unique role in the cultural and scholarly landscape of New York City. Serving a diverse group of patrons—from historians and researchers to documentary filmmakers to medical students and elementary school students—the Academy collections serve to inform and inspire a variety of audiences from the academic to the public at large.
Disclaimer: This exhibition is not licensed or endorsed by Warner Bros. or J.K. Rowling.
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