HPL: About...

Help/About...

Below you will find out more about the Harry Potter Lexicon website, about sources of Harry Potter information and whether they are canon or not, about reading the Harry Potter books themselves, about the Joanne Rowling, and about other companies and entities who produce Harry Potter merchandise and material.

About the Harry Potter Lexicon

Overview of the Lexicon website

Still to come

The people who make the Lexicon possible

Staff members
Artists and other contributors

History and Lore

history of the site
What's New archives:2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007
the "misspelled" word on the main page
Steve's notebooks - researching for the Lexicon
Lexicon FAQ

Sources of Lexicon information

Policies & Guidelines

privacy policy
terms of service
editorial standards
guidelines for submissions
copyright information and guidelines for use of material from the Lexicon
when and how to contact the Lexicon

Using the Lexicon

abbreviations used in the Lexicon
site map
guide to icons used in the Lexicon
Main Index
The Remembrall - complete Lexicon search tool
Knight Bus Tours
Lexicon Forum

About sources of Harry Potter information

The world of Harry Potter has expanded greatly since this website came into being in 2000. Back then, three books was the sum total of Harry Potter lore. It was fairly simple to catalog things: the books were short and there were no films or merchandise to consider. Things have changed, and now we research through not only the novels but also numerous interviews, the author's extensive website, long lost and recently rediscovered writings, and many other sources to catalog the complete vision of Rowling's world. As other companies contribute films, games, and other materials to the mix, it becomes increasingly difficult to identify what is and isn't canon. Some non-canon materials are important in their own right, even if they aren't Rowling's creation, and understanding the Harry Potter universe must include some mention of these things.

The pages listed below will help you understand what sources are considered canon among all the many sources available. The Lexicon catalogs any material which is canon (and a few things that aren't).

Please note: This is not a comprehensive list of all the Harry Potter games and other materials which are available. We include only those which could provide information to a site such as the Lexicon.

Overview of sources and a definition of canon

The books, the interviews, and all other sources which come directly from J.K. Rowling herself.

Non-canon sources

The films, games, and other sources

About reading the Harry Potter books

Harry Potter FAQ

Explainers:

the "wand order problem"
ages of major characters
the "missing 24 hours"
fixing the dates of the timeline

Understanding the books

Concordance - exploring ideas and concepts in the books
Puzzles, Mysteries, and Loose ends
Essays

Language helps

Pronunciations of words in the books
Sources of words in the Harry Potter books
Strictly British - glossary of British terms and phrases

Muggle Encyclopedia
"real world" people and places associated with Rowling, the films, and the books

Quotes
Full text of JKR interviews and browsable summaries of JKR quotes on Accio Quote! - the newly combined content of Quick Quotes Quill and Madam Scoop's websites.

Resources

About J.K.Rowling

Biography of the author

Autobiography on author's official website

Online resources

How to contact the author

...other Potter entities