Thoughts about Publication of the new Lexicon book
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Richard wrote:
Congratulations! I’ve followed the news regarding the somewhat unnecessary obstacles you’ve had to go surpass to get to this point. Many thanks for persevering.
— December 5, 2008 @ 1:24 pm
Saiph wrote:
So excited to hear this! I can’t wait to read all your additional commentary, too.
— December 5, 2008 @ 2:40 pm
Halle wrote:
I’m glad you didn’t give up. It must have been really discouraging, and I’m glad you and your publisher saw it through. I’m looking forward to it!
— December 5, 2008 @ 2:58 pm
Jennifer wrote:
This comment is no doubt going to get deleted, but I’m not writing it for others to read, just you the founder of this website. Where I don’t have a problem with others writing their version of different Harry Potter topics ( I personally love fan fiction) I do have a problem with you because you think you need to have it published as a hard copy. Are you so empty headed that you can’t come up with your own stuff to write about??? Half of us out here think you are a theif and a stupid one at that. It’s rude and a joke. Be a real man and write your own story so you can be famous for your own work. You’ll have get more respect that way.
— December 5, 2008 @ 4:27 pm
gingergirl wrote:
Dear Jennifer. Steve certainly is not the first person to write a HP companion book (and probably won’t be the last either). I recomend you do a search on Amazon for HP companion books. Among those books, you’ll find Steve’s book ‘In Search of Harry Potter’ which is a gem, respectfully inspired by JKR’s books.
— December 5, 2008 @ 5:03 pm
Luna's Ceiling wrote:
gingergirl is right, In Search of Harry Potter is a gem and it has some lovely art work as well. I am doubly thrilled to know that The Lexicon will be available after a rather long unnecessary delay. I am so looking forward to receiving my copy. Congratulations!
— December 5, 2008 @ 5:16 pm
Jennifer wrote:
Still doesn’t make it right. If the tables were turned…. We must agree to disagree on this matter.
— December 5, 2008 @ 5:16 pm
Nicola Vojvodic (15) wrote:
Steve is our friend and we support him. He gave us a guide to the wonderful world of magic that JKR created. Fans, like he, have a burning desire to know everything about that world. Of course we are with you Steve and I cant wait you book
Thank you for your kind comments, but some of these posts are a little too strong for a site that’s used by a lot of kids. I’m going to have to do some editing or deletion, for which I apologise in advance.
Steve
— December 5, 2008 @ 6:05 pm
gingergirl wrote:
Dear Nicola Vojvodic (15),
There’s no need for such offensive language. Steve is a personal friend of mine, and I’m sure that he won’t appreciate you being so rude. Jennifer is entitled to her opinions, and even though she wrongfully called Steve a thief and acused him of being empty headed, there’s no reason to be mean to her. This past time has been hard on all of us in fandom, emotions have been running high, let’s all make an effort to mend the rift and get on with our lives.
However I would recomend, Jennifer, that you stuck around and discovered how great this website really is, maybe then you’d understand what a great contribution The Lexicon is to fandom.
— December 5, 2008 @ 6:10 pm
nose_in_a_book wrote:
Nicola, you said “He gave us a guide to the wonderful world of magic that JKR created, and only real HP fans understand what Im talking about” - you seem to imply that people can only be ‘real HP fans’ if they’re also fans of the Lexicon. If this is what you are in fact insinuating, I would appreciate it if you did not presume to speak for an entire fandom (and if that’s not what you mean, than I apologize for taking it that way). There are HP fans that enjoy the Lexicon website just as there are those that don’t. Either way, liking or disliking this particular site (or Steve himself for that matter) does not make one more or less of a fan of Harry Potter. I personally have never found a need for the Lexicon, I’ve perused it once in a while, just to see what’s here (and frankly, the only reason I came today was because someone mentioned that Steve had made an announcement on the rewrite of the book that went to trial this past year), but I’ve never actually had a need to use it, I’m more than happy to refer to the set 7 books (plus 2 companion books, soon to be 3 as soon as it arrives) sitting on my shelf when I need to remind myself of something. So again, just because I or someone else doesn’t care for the Lexicon site doesn’t mean we’re not a “real fan” of HP. There are no prerequisets for being a “real fan” (and I hate that term in general) other than finding some type of enjoyment in the books that JK herself has written.
— December 5, 2008 @ 6:24 pm
gingergirl wrote:
Dear nose_in_a_book, I absolutely agree with you. Like you I hate, no not hate, detest the term ‘real fan’.
— December 5, 2008 @ 6:40 pm
Blake wrote:
Well said Jennifer. I am a true HP Fan. Without JK HP wouldn’t exist. I hope Steve dedicated his book to JK. That would be the thoughtful thing to do.
— December 5, 2008 @ 11:40 pm
Nicola Vojvodic (15) wrote:
No, folks, you misunderstand me.I wanted to say Jennifer, to explain that someone who read Harry Potter books so many times, have a burning desire to have some answers that we like to know, thats the reason why we what Steve’s book next to our HP books.You’re right, someone doesn’t like Lexicon but they are still big HP fans.They like some other companion books because they have desire to know more about HP.Like them I have desire so since 2004, Im using Lexicon…
— December 6, 2008 @ 7:54 am
Nicola Vojvodic (15) wrote:
I know that I have been very rude and mean to Jennifer, but she said a very rude thing something like: everyone who supports Steve is not worth of my time.
She insulted me, and insulted someone who wasn’t present (Steve).That’s very cowardly, and like Ron Weasley, I explode when see that and know to be rude.
I apolagize to all, and hope that Jennifer read this because I apolagize to her too, even she made a mistake calling a Steve a theif and disrespected his hard work…
— December 6, 2008 @ 8:14 am
Philip Pearce wrote:
I will look forward to reading the book
— December 6, 2008 @ 10:40 am
Liz Mann wrote:
Congratulations Steve! Two books out in a short space of time, that’s really great. I’m really happy that a compromise has been reached and that both sides appear to be satisfied.
— December 6, 2008 @ 12:17 pm
tandaradei wrote:
Don’t know how my thoughts will be taken…
One large part of my interest in all things HP is how it intersects with global transformations in society. In that view, I find fandom, fanfic, all internet projects and their offshoots (as in standard books) as extremely interesting in their own right, and as a part of this new-born community.
Obviously I will of course buy and love Steve’s book, as I have others… I rather suspect JKR fights such things because she learned to early on, as when she fought her first husband for her daughter. I think this natural but also a bit brittle, considering the transformations taking place all around us.
I do hope we can all learn to bend and not break!
— December 6, 2008 @ 5:05 pm
d wrote:
congrats - can’t wait to see it.
Perhaps if people did a lot more reading they would discover that there is a long and respected tradition of companion books. I’ll be happy to add yours to my collection.
d
— December 6, 2008 @ 6:29 pm
d wrote:
oh - meant to add…
tandaradei - I always appreciate trying to see things from another’s perspective - thank you for helping me think a little deeper about why JKR might have over reacted (imho).
— December 6, 2008 @ 6:33 pm
serious wrote:
Congratulations! Finally! Looking forward to both of your books. Also, I was just looking at the RDR site and in the third paragraph it says, “A former school media specialist living in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Vander Ark has been honored by fans of the series who appreciate his insights into the party books.” I suppose this should say “Potter books” not “party books”. Hopefully, it can be corrected easily if it is to be on the book jacket.
— December 6, 2008 @ 10:23 pm
Casey wrote:
This is my own personal opinion and probably slanted because I’m an author myself. I think the website itself is brilliant and a great resource for any Harry Potter fan, but to turn it around and now make a profit from it……seems a little slimy to me. You didn’t do any of the work involved in creating an entire world like JK Rowling did, but you are going to resort the information she presented, add some bits of commentary of your own, and now make money from that. On top of that, JK Rowling, and the law of this country asked you not to publish the book. Instead of accepting defeat, you tiptoe the line of what is acceptable and publish it anyway. You almost had me convinced you were trying to do a good thing, but to now publish the book on these terms…..you seem more and more like Lucius Malfoy to me.
Maybe you don’t understand the countless hours it takes to create a world like JK Rowling did. Try spending ten to twenty years of your life building something, then to watch someone make money from your own work……maybe then you’d understand!
— December 7, 2008 @ 11:42 am
Nicola Vojvodic (Y15) wrote:
Dear Casey,
I sometimes blows up like with Jennifer, so I just going to tell you this: You’re wrong.Steve doing that with heart and he loves that world as we do and he just want to share his knowledge with us and of course its nice to see that in hardcover.Frankly I more interested in JKs world than in characters.That doesn’t mean that I don’t love Harry, Im a big fan but that someone write a novel about JKs world but without Harry with new story I would be very happy.
— December 7, 2008 @ 1:59 pm
Nicola Vojvodic (Y15) wrote:
Of course that won’t happen because of copyright law.I do respect her work, I would be happy to writep such a novel about her world (with her permission) and give her all the money.Everyone who read her book dreams to some new magical story go out, and she sad that she maybe going to write a new story about her world of magic with marauders but for ten years.So I just say that I want to her magical world live forever with other stories but with information who originaly created that world.That’s my opinion.
— December 7, 2008 @ 2:16 pm
hpboy13 wrote:
Hallelujah! I knew you’d persevere, Steve, and I’m so incredibly happy you did. I will buy this book the day it comes out, rest assured. Any plans to do a book signing in NYC? *hint hint*
— December 7, 2008 @ 2:40 pm
Tommy wrote:
Hi! I wanted to know whether it is an Italian edit in program. Thanks Steve!
— December 7, 2008 @ 7:30 pm
Laura wrote:
I used to be fan. You are many things, but you are not stupid man. After your willful ignorance of what constitutes theft ( you can call a duck a swan all you want it’s still a duck)I will not be giving you a dime.
I find it impossible to believe that you didn’t realize all along that book of critique and essays was acceptable, and a summation of alphabetizing the notable elements in the world was not.
I really don’t care what you publish at this point. For me it’s not the matter of “he’s now keeping within the law”, it’s that you could have easily chosen to do the right thing all along and you didn’t, and you made this choice as an educated, middle-aged adult who was blinded by who knows money, greed, desperation, maybe something else.
— December 8, 2008 @ 10:52 am
JJB wrote:
Hurray! Congratulations Steve and thanks for two companion books—In Search of Harry Potter and the Lexicon–that help keep the HP world alive and current in our lives. My one complaint… why couldn’t the Lexicon come out in time for Santa to leave a copy in my Christmas stocking?
Ah well, all those waits between HP books tought me patience and a month isn’t so long comparatively speaking!
— December 8, 2008 @ 11:40 am
JJB wrote:
BTW, for the above commentors who seem to still think of this as a contest between JKR and SVA over who can legally write about Harry Potter, the Christopher Little Agency referred to in the post is JKR’s own literary agency and they are commenting for her. They have no problem with the book now so neither must anyone else. We’re all on the same side here folks,not even JKR is opposed to this new book.
Now let’s all join hands and sing the school song…
— December 8, 2008 @ 11:56 am
Nicola Vojvodic (Y15) wrote:
Well said JJB.We are all fans and on the same side people.
JJB would you…
Hogwarts,Hogwarts…
— December 8, 2008 @ 4:22 pm
JJB wrote:
Oh, All right, but you asked for it…
HOGGY WARTY HOGWARTS
TEACH US SOMETHING PLEASE…
Too loud? Uh, sorry.
Whether we be old and bald or young with scabby knees!
Oops, sorry, my voice broke on that last note X(
Our heads could do with filling with some interesting stuff…
I feel like the Weasley twins singing alone to a dirge.
Nicola Vojvodic, you be George and I’ll be Fred and… Gulp. *throws self on floor weeping in paroxysms of unresolved grief over Fred*
hpboy13, why don’t you join Nicola Vojvodic while I go find a tissue?
— December 9, 2008 @ 10:35 am
hpboy13 wrote:
It’ll be my very great pleasure - though my voice is much more off-key than the twins’!
For now they’re bare and full of air,
Dead flies, and bits of fluff!
— December 9, 2008 @ 7:42 pm
p.f. wrote:
congratulations to you and mr. falzone! you fought a tremendous fight, fair use won.
— December 10, 2008 @ 8:16 am
Nicola Vojvodic (Y15) wrote:
Oh, JJB you can call me just Nicola or Nick, now JJB, hpboy13 once more but together:
Hogwarts, Hogwarts,
Hoggy Warty Hogwarts
Teach us something please
Whether we be old and bald
Or young with scabby knees
Our heads could do with filling
With some interesting stuff
For now they’re bare and full of air
Dead flies and bits of fluff
Come people…sing…
— December 10, 2008 @ 1:38 pm
Nicola Vojvodic (Y15) wrote:
That’s good, come on everybody…
…So teach us things worth knowing,
Bring back what we’ve forgot,
Just do your best, we’ll do the rest,
And learn until our brains all rot.
Do you want it on Serbian?It’s same melody you just enjoy in the school song , the great creation of JKR that has been translated to so many languages.Oh, thank you JKR so much for creating of world of magic, the boundries and language are not barrier for HP fans.We are all together…
— December 10, 2008 @ 2:18 pm
JJB wrote:
Actually, Nicola, it’s not the same melody in Serbian as in English because it’s not even the same melody for everyone singing in English–it’s choose your own melody and off we go.
What melody do you use when you sing it in Serbian?
I only think of it with the Jim Dale audio version melody so I never had to be creative on my own..
— December 10, 2008 @ 2:56 pm
Nicola Vojvodic (Y15) wrote:
A use do one from GF/f school song in deleted scenes…I can’t stop singing, I don’t have my own so I use that one.And it’s good at Serbian too.But like Dumbledore said every one sing with his own melody…
— December 10, 2008 @ 3:23 pm
Nicola Vojvodic (Y15) wrote:
Remember what Dumbledore said, or sing just a melody and I will sing the words…
Well, now enjoy in the song:
Hogvorts,Hogvorts
Hogi Vorti
Hogvorts,
Molimo te, nauci
nas nesto,
Bilo da smo stari
i celavi
Ili mladi, misicavi
Nasim glavama
bi dobro doslo
Da naucimo
nesto zanimljivo,
Sada su prazne i vazduha pune
Trica, kucina i komadica vune,
Nauci nas nesto sto vredi znati Sve sto smo zaboravili vrati
Daj sve od sebe, mi cemo sami do ostalog doci
Uceci, dok nam se glava ne rastoci!
— December 10, 2008 @ 3:39 pm
Nicola Vojvodic (Y15) wrote:
What a extraordinary moment this is.HP makes a international friendship.You’re great folks…a this is such a great site…
— December 10, 2008 @ 3:51 pm
kamion wrote:
Steve, congrats with the release of “In Search” It’s a pleasant reading of a booklet well edited and richly documented.
In a way the book has the same handicap as the movies: you make a picture - a fussy picture - in your head what the place mentioned in HP looks like and that doesn’t always match with the pictures provided in your book.
And then it’s sort of hard to get back that fussy one you cherished a while.
In some cases you took a bit of magic, in some you added new magic.
Especially that door at Charing Cross Road is soooo Leaky Cauldron, particlairy for someone like me who wondered looking at Charing Cross from Trafalgar Square why the heck JKR imagined the Cauldron at that unlikely spot wedged between WhiteHall and the Strand. ( wrong Charing Cross it turned out)
Godrics Hollow I imaged somewhat cosier then the picture suggest, but on the other hand that gate to an empty field more or less in the midth of the village ( searched Google Earth for it) is intriging; the Potters were well to do and posh enough to get a bride from the Black family, so a considerable piece of land around their dwelling
would be appropriate.
Btw I had a bit of search for the Search, Waterstone shelved it under the Travel section, not the first place I would go looking for a HP related book.
— December 11, 2008 @ 7:52 am
hpboy13 wrote:
Wow, Nicola, that’s so awesome! I’ve never actually read the books in Russian, because I believe that nothing can compare with the sheer brilliance of Jo’s original.
— December 11, 2008 @ 7:37 pm
Fernando wrote:
Congratulations Steve!
Finally we can get a grip on your book.
Well done!
— December 11, 2008 @ 8:08 pm
JJB wrote:
hpboy13, are you Russian?
Now, if only Tommy would sing us the school song in Italian… that would make my giorno!
— December 12, 2008 @ 11:52 am
Nicola Vojvodic (15) wrote:
Thank’s hpboy13.Of course I agree with you but I was 8 years old when I became a HP fan so with 11 a read first five on English and later 6 and 7 book.So I know HP on Serbian and also on English…
— December 12, 2008 @ 3:31 pm
Nicola Vojvodic (15) wrote:
And is ‘kamion’ a Russian too?The ‘kamion’ on Serbian means truck so I’ve wondered.So hpboy13 how you like a Beedle?I had no chance to get it from Serbia, so Im very curious…
Cheers for everyone…
— December 12, 2008 @ 3:50 pm
Tommy wrote:
for JJB:
Hogwarts, Hogwarts del nostro cuore,
te ne preghiamo, insegnaci bene
giovani, vecchi, o del Pleistocene,
la nostra testa tu sola riempi
di tante cose interessanti.
Perché ora è vuota e piena di venti,
di mosche morte e idee deliranti.
Insegnaci dunque quel che è richiesto,
della memoria cancella l’oblio
fai del tuo meglio, a noi spetta il resto
finché al cervello daremo l’addio.
— December 12, 2008 @ 7:26 pm
Nicola Vojvodic (15) wrote:
Cool.I like it, thanks Tommy.
— December 13, 2008 @ 2:50 am
hpboy13 wrote:
Yup, I most certainly am Russian. Well, actually 3/4 Ukrainian and 1/4 Belarussian, and born in US but made in Ukraine, but I speka Russian. And no, there’s no “kamion” in Russian as far as I know; I think truck is something like “gruzovik” (the Russian alphabet is different, I transliterate as best I can).
Anyway, I absolutely adored Beedle! It’s like reading a new HP book, except there’s no frantic “what will happen next?” feeling. I will forever treasure my copy (not leats because it’s signed by the Pottercast quartet and Cheryl Klein ).
Now, I’m trying to get NYC’s HP Meetup group to organize something for the release of the Lexicon. It’s only fitting!
— December 13, 2008 @ 3:01 am
Nicola Vojvodic (15) wrote:
Oh, nice.Well my mother is half Hungarian, half Serbian, and my father is half Serbian, half German, but we live in Serbia, and no one from my family doesn’t speak English except me and my 12 years old sister.She’s also a big fan of HP.
However, Serbia belongs to south slovenian group and Russia to East slovenian group, so there’s a small differences in some words and language.
About Beedle, I hope that I will get a chance to get it soon…
Cheers for you hpboy13
— December 13, 2008 @ 5:16 am
ravenclaw Rambler wrote:
“……….looking at Charing Cross from Trafalgar Square why the heck JKR imagined the Cauldron at that unlikely spot wedged between WhiteHall and the Strand. ( wrong Charing Cross it turned out)”
Not the wrong one at all - Charing Cross Road is the road running south from Centre Point to Charing Cross.
— December 13, 2008 @ 10:07 am
mike dumbledore wrote:
Now, why couldn’t you simply use this format in the first place, Steve? Instead of going through that legal battle, you could have initially written your book in the new format.
Actually, Laura, there are plenty of people who have ‘profited’ from the Potter phenomenon, in one form or another. Mellisa from The Cauldron has benefited greatly, and she benefited off of the backs of other people’s work at the Cauldron site. She wasn’t the original webmistress, so I wouldn’t throw accusations so freely. Doesn’t matter to me, I walked away from the Cauldron, and I won’t look back. Steve, you can delete this if you feel you must.
— December 13, 2008 @ 2:31 pm
JJB wrote:
Tommy, Mille grazie!
— December 13, 2008 @ 8:59 pm
Ginevra Potter wrote:
Congratulations, Steve and all! I am happy this worked out for you.
— December 13, 2008 @ 9:19 pm
Ron Big Fan wrote:
First of all, CONGRATS!!! for both books
And second but not last… THANKS not only for these new books but also for the wonderful years that you have gave to us through the Lexicon site.
Wish you the best for the next year and PLEASE do not “hack” or pirate the new books it took him a lot of time (and money) to finally put them on shelves
Congratulations on publishing your books. The Lexicon has always been the first place I have gone to find out anything of interest about the Harry Potter World. People like me just want to read, read, read and read. All new and juicy information about what is going on with Harry Potter and JK Rowling. So thanks. Don’t give up and keep us hooked on Harry. The Lexicon forever!!!!!!
— December 15, 2008 @ 9:15 pm
Nicola Vojvodic (15) wrote:
Yeah.Well said jgardiner!If I want to find out something about JK’s world of magic I come here.Also if Im bored I come here and look for my friends JJB,hpboy13,prl,Steve and all you folks.Steve worked so hard on Lexicon site all this years and he deserve to publish that book if that makes him happy (that makes me happy a lot).
Like jgardiner, I can’t stop reading.My brain says:”More,more!” and first at all my heart because I can’t live without JK’s world of magic…
— December 16, 2008 @ 1:38 pm
hpboy13 wrote:
You said it guys! As I remember, the Lexicon was the onyl site I visited in the week leading up to DH. First, because I knew it was completely spoiler-free. Second, because I couldn’t resist the challenge of finding the number of days left in the books (which was convenient because I was rereading the books!)
— December 16, 2008 @ 8:57 pm
Veena wrote:
Terrific Steve!!! LOVE THE LEXICON! You’re brave and knowledgeable, and I’m so glad it’s all working out to everyone’s satisfaction. Congratulations!
— December 18, 2008 @ 1:46 am
ravenclaw Rambler wrote:
The site your link leads to says it will be Jan 16th - not 12th - and only has prices in US$. What’s the best place to order from in UK?
BTW AmazonUK says it’s coming out on Jan 19th.
Confused.
I think the latest is that the book will be out on the 16th in the US. The date change is more than anything because of the holidays. Then a date of the 19th in the UK sounds about right. And just FYI, it looks like I’ll be doing some events in London and other UK cities at the beginning of February. I’ll post more details about the book tour plans soon.
— December 18, 2008 @ 6:42 pm
JJB wrote:
FYI, I just received an update from Amazon.Co.UK for Nicola’s copy of the Lexicon. They said it should ship and/or be delivered between January 12 and January 22. Previously the release date was listed as the 19th.
BTW, Nicola, your Amazon order has shipped… Tales of Beadle the Bard and In Search of Harry Potter are on their way to you as we speak–er, write?
I’m sure you’ll enjoy them both.
— December 19, 2008 @ 6:20 pm
JJB wrote:
Actually, the Amazon.Co.UK order has DISPATCHED–after all, we’re being strictly British with this order.
Cheers.
— December 19, 2008 @ 6:33 pm
hpboy13 wrote:
Aw come on, we wait months and months on end and now we have to wait 4 MORE days? *mutters to self “patience is a virtue, patience in a virtue” *
Steve, what about a US tour? Including NYC?
— December 20, 2008 @ 2:29 am
Nicola Vojvodic (15) wrote:
No matter.Waiting will pay out when we get our Lexicon in hands and discover a hard work of our friend - Steve.
I will be reading Beedle and In search so I can wait….
And of course that Im going to enjoy…
Cheers to everyone…
— December 20, 2008 @ 5:54 am
Kathy from Las Vegas wrote:
Thank you Steve!! I’m a 62-year-old HP fan and have been following this closely. I have never been personally involved in any HP community, but I’ve been cheering you on quietly. I just ordered The Lexicon today.
All my best to you and your future endeavors.
— December 20, 2008 @ 6:10 pm
Chv wrote:
Steve, While I understand why JKR and her people brought the suit, and value the idea of the integrity of a person’s intellectual property, I’m very glad for you that you were able to publish your work. I’ve used the Lexicon countless times, just to get clarify things from canon, or to learn more about HP topics that interested me. I’ve read numerous fanfic authors who say the Lexicon is their constant companion and an invaluable reference tool.
Congratulations, thanks for your hard work and dedication through the years, and thanks especially for taking the judgment and working with it to give us your Lexicon book. Cheers!
— December 26, 2008 @ 7:37 pm
Bilius wrote:
Cheers to Steve!
Pip, Pip!!
Can’t wait to read them!
Both will be very useful HP references.
— December 28, 2008 @ 6:22 pm
Mike wrote:
I for one won’t be buying it. And people should know what they’re talking about saying the lawsuit wasn’t necasary (isn’t spelled right lol) because it actually was. Would you like it if you had all of your books published and someone mad their own books with your work word per word. Not even that but JKR said she was going to publish an encyclopedia one day too.
— December 30, 2008 @ 1:05 am
hpboy13 wrote:
Mike, can you please just GET OVER IT!! The HP fandom was divided for months on end regarding this issue, and both sides of the argument have been heard so much that I’m frankly naseous of it all. For better or worse, it has been resolved: Jo gets to keep her precious copyright, WB gets $7K, the Lexicon still gets published but with a disclaimer. Buy the book or don’t, but can you please refrain from bringing this whole argument up again and ruining the cheerful mood in this Pensieve?
— December 30, 2008 @ 3:24 am
AmanitaMuscaria wrote:
I am so glad you’ve sorted out a way to publish - we’ve seen websites go down and disappear for various reasons, and it would be a sad thing not to have the Lexicon as a reference resource.
The book is now available on Amazon and will be in bookstores everywhere by this coming weekend. And the website isn’t going anywhere, that I can tell you for sure.
— January 10, 2009 @ 8:33 pm
ravenclaw rambler wrote:
Amazon are still giving a 19th January UK publication date, but say I won’t get it until 29th Jan at the earliest, and possibly not until 9th Feb!
Anyone know what the problem is?
— January 14, 2009 @ 2:16 pm
Kathy wrote:
My Lexicon arrived yesterday (Jan. 15th)! I love it! I’m about ready to start my yearly reading of the series. I have the full set of audible books narrated by Jim Dale and I’m planning on just sitting back and listening to them all in a row this time. How nice it’s going to be to have The Lexicon close by to look up those names, gems and little tidbits I can’t recall in my old brain. Thanks Steve!!!
— January 16, 2009 @ 1:30 pm
Aberlour wrote:
Steve, I received your Lexicon and am delighted you were able to publish it. I a disappointed that it is not as well cross-referenced as your website. I plan to keep it handy as I re-read the books this summer.
My wife just pointed out that the rug dealer, “Ali Bashir”, is the peddler man in the musical “Oklahoma!”
— January 18, 2009 @ 10:34 pm
Steve wrote:
The peddler in Oklahoma is Ali Hakim (I’ve done that show a few times, variously as musical director, as set designer, and as stage director!).
I’m so glad to hear that you’re enjoying the book!
Steve
— January 18, 2009 @ 11:54 pm
Nicola Vojvodic (15) wrote:
What?! 9th Feb?Oh, Im going to freak out If they don’t shipp it to me to the end of Jan.I’ve already have a problem with UPS shipping…they are a bit slow in Serbia…oh well.
Thanks Ravenclaw Rambler for this information…
Cheers…
— January 19, 2009 @ 8:23 am
inlovewithsirius wrote:
will i be able to get it in the uk?
— January 20, 2009 @ 2:54 pm
Nicola Vojvodic (15) wrote:
Well, maybe if you look in local book stores…throught Amazon we must wait…and I must count the UPS shipping in Serbia which sometimes can make a problem to countries that are not in EU…
But your copy should arrive as soon is possible…perhaps by the end of Jan.
Cheers…
— January 20, 2009 @ 4:08 pm
LPO wrote:
Steve,
I’ve enjoyed the Lexicon for years now. It is so nice to have the book! I’ve been enjoying it. Thank you for preserving and getting it published. The multiple disclaimers are amusing! LPO
— January 22, 2009 @ 12:31 am
ravenclaw rambler wrote:
So, Amazon’s estinmate of the 29th was wrong. It was dispatched today!
Unfortunately, it’s coming by Royal Mail, not owl post, so it may be a while yet!
— January 24, 2009 @ 3:14 pm
Nicola Vojvodic (15) wrote:
Huh, Im going to die…can’t wait…it going to take lot of time to come in Serbia…maybe I’ll get it for Valentine’s day!But I can’t wait so long!Must read it, must read it…huh…
Self control, self control, self control…:-)
Er, JJB where are you?!
— January 25, 2009 @ 6:10 am
Iain wrote:
…I’m confused about the legality of the publication of the “Lexicon”…after all, there *are* several similar companion-books for other works (and HP itself)…
Ah, well. Congrats! I think I’ll always prefer the online-version of the “Lexicon,” though.
— February 10, 2009 @ 2:05 pm
Kerri wrote:
Someone said further up that since the publisher doesn’t have a problem with it, neither should we. Well, as a consumer I respectfully disagree.
Steve, if you had started off with whatever content that you have now, perhaps I would feel differently. But you stepped over the boundary as a fan, and made JKR take you to court and -force- you to back off and make these changes. You had numerous chances to back off and make changes, and you refused.
For that, you have lost my respect - and I refuse to purchase your book.
— February 11, 2009 @ 5:03 pm
Steve wrote:
Hi, Kerri
You’re definitely entitled to your opinion, but I do need to correct one error in what you wrote. Your statement that I had “numerous chances to back off and make changes” and that I “refused” is completely, utterly false. As for the rest of your analysis, well, let me just say that you don’t really have any idea what happened.
Steve, belated congrats - been out of the loop with my little ones and missed the announcement. I’ll be signing up for text message announcements this weekend (getting a new cell phone plan with unlimited texts on Friday). If you’re anywhere a reasonable distance from Cleveland my crew will come to see you. That little baby that was at Prophecy is now a toddler who already pretends to cast spells with anything somewhat resembling a wand (i.e. curly straws are close enough for him). Your books will be an intrigal part of how I share the wonderful Potterverse with my children when they’re old enough. Thank you so much for persevering. I’m sorry to see how divided the fandom has been over this, it’s really a shame and much of it due to a lack of understanding of the legal issues and background. I have a small inkling of how much time and personal money you must have invested to bring us this website over the years and am thrilled to be able to contribute back some small portion of appreciation for your hard work. Knowing that JKR herself referenced your indexing work while she was writing, I was really shocked at how far this legal battle went. If I ever manage to publish my own fiction (which I am working on, slowly), I would be so thrilled if I could manage to attract the dedication and hard work of an individual like yourself. Imitation isn’t the sincerest form of flattery - creating a lexicon like this is!
Steve, big congrats! Had been following the case and am on the hunt for a copy, but unfortunately cannot find one down here in Australia
— March 7, 2009 @ 5:53 pm
Zivlok wrote:
I was always on JKR’s side through the whole debacle, but was delighted to learn that you did go ahead, make the changes, and then publish it. I wish it hadn’t taken so long for those changes to be made, but, whatever.
I skimmed through it at a Barnes and Noble, but I’m not gonna buy it. I think the Lexicon is a great resource because of it’s searchable, categorized, linked, all that fancy computer stuff, and so printing it out and trimming it down makes it lose its usefulness to me as a resource. Also, it didn’t have an entry for “Flipendo”, which I found disappointing, because it is THE BEST SPELL EVAR.
Seriously, it can do anything. Gotta push a block back? Flipendo! Gotta kill a spider? Flipendo! Gotta fight Voldemort? Flipendo! Kitten stuck in a tree? Flipendo! Lost your homework? Flipendo!
Anyway, I congratulate you on making the changes necessary to meet the judge’s decision, and I hope it sells well, but if I need to fact check, I’ll just go to my bookmarks bar, not my bookshelf.
— March 7, 2009 @ 8:58 pm
The Other Sister wrote:
I really don’t understand what all the fuss was about. Aren’t there many, many books out there explaining, discussing, commenting on Harry Potter? All these authors made money off Jk Rowling’s character as well. So why did they pick on you, Steve?
— April 10, 2009 @ 11:39 pm
Stelmaria wrote:
The prospect of the new HP movie finally coming up in a few months reminded me of all things Harry Potter after a long break, since the last book and movie, and I also remembered how curious I had found JK’s objection to a companion last year. I just checked wiki at HP law suits (she’s done so many there’s an encyclopaedia page about it, what does that say? Hahaha)and was thoroughly depressed to find there that judge whatever’s-he-called ‘ruled in her favour’. Came running to the Lexicon for something more specific, to discover this ‘news page’ (yiey!) and that the publisher went on anyways (double yiey!).
Surprising that so many people are ungfamiliar with the term ‘companion book’ and to those, I would recomend a trip to the nearest bookstore, please do us all a favour and go to the Tolkien section (for argument’s sake) and counnt just how many dozens of companions you find there…
Believe me, most young authors out there would be begging to have someone write a companion to their book; I know I would
Congrats Steve, and remember some of us think, she should be thanking you
— May 29, 2009 @ 9:12 pm
Stelmaria wrote:
(sorry for the typos, 2 in the morning and all… *need to stop watching the Half Blood Prince Trailer over and over, need to go to bed…*)
— May 29, 2009 @ 9:19 pm
ButSiriuslyFolks wrote:
In all honestly, I kind of tend to side with the thought that characters and ideas are the property of the author. But, Ms. Rowling seemed to have little problem with the companion books, fan fiction, and endless websites that seemed to “take over” the ownership of her precious characters BEFORE the series was completed. Frankly, I’m no fan of fan fiction, but in essence, those types of obsessive and fervent acts of passion fueled her billion dollars in profit. Now, suddenly, when the series is done and she’s closed every door as to what might happen (taking ownership away from the fans…no more Harry/Hermione stories), suddenly companion books infringe upon her profit margin? Sorry, Jo…love your work and love the books, but you allowed the monster to grow out of control and to try and reel it in now is petty. I love the Lexicon and think it is of tremendous use as I teach my Harry Potter summer school enrichment, going on its seventh year.
— July 7, 2009 @ 7:21 pm
Scruncher wrote:
My child loved the Harry Potter books so much but was having problems keeping track of the characters, so she bought the companion book. However I explained to her that she was an awful, terrible person for purchasing a text that was intended to help her enjoy the HP books by organizing data for her. I am glad to say that she has learned her lesson and has switched to reading the Twilight series as that is more in keeping with her limited mental abilities.
— September 10, 2009 @ 4:04 am
Maeghan wrote:
Meh, I’ll wait for the one Rowling is writing. It’ll have all her original information from the books, plus more information on the world itself.
— October 7, 2009 @ 10:52 pm
Leave your thoughts
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Richard wrote:
Congratulations! I’ve followed the news regarding the somewhat unnecessary obstacles you’ve had to go surpass to get to this point. Many thanks for persevering.
— December 5, 2008 @ 1:24 pm
Saiph wrote:
So excited to hear this! I can’t wait to read all your additional commentary, too.
— December 5, 2008 @ 2:40 pm
Halle wrote:
I’m glad you didn’t give up. It must have been really discouraging, and I’m glad you and your publisher saw it through. I’m looking forward to it!
— December 5, 2008 @ 2:58 pm
Jennifer wrote:
This comment is no doubt going to get deleted, but I’m not writing it for others to read, just you the founder of this website. Where I don’t have a problem with others writing their version of different Harry Potter topics ( I personally love fan fiction) I do have a problem with you because you think you need to have it published as a hard copy. Are you so empty headed that you can’t come up with your own stuff to write about??? Half of us out here think you are a theif and a stupid one at that. It’s rude and a joke. Be a real man and write your own story so you can be famous for your own work. You’ll have get more respect that way.
— December 5, 2008 @ 4:27 pm
gingergirl wrote:
Dear Jennifer. Steve certainly is not the first person to write a HP companion book (and probably won’t be the last either). I recomend you do a search on Amazon for HP companion books. Among those books, you’ll find Steve’s book ‘In Search of Harry Potter’ which is a gem, respectfully inspired by JKR’s books.
— December 5, 2008 @ 5:03 pm
Luna's Ceiling wrote:
gingergirl is right, In Search of Harry Potter is a gem and it has some lovely art work as well. I am doubly thrilled to know that The Lexicon will be available after a rather long unnecessary delay. I am so looking forward to receiving my copy. Congratulations!
— December 5, 2008 @ 5:16 pm
Jennifer wrote:
Still doesn’t make it right. If the tables were turned…. We must agree to disagree on this matter.
— December 5, 2008 @ 5:16 pm
Nicola Vojvodic (15) wrote:
Steve is our friend and we support him. He gave us a guide to the wonderful world of magic that JKR created. Fans, like he, have a burning desire to know everything about that world. Of course we are with you Steve and I cant wait you book
— December 5, 2008 @ 5:29 pm
Steve wrote:
Thank you for your kind comments, but some of these posts are a little too strong for a site that’s used by a lot of kids. I’m going to have to do some editing or deletion, for which I apologise in advance.
Steve
— December 5, 2008 @ 6:05 pm
gingergirl wrote:
Dear Nicola Vojvodic (15),
There’s no need for such offensive language. Steve is a personal friend of mine, and I’m sure that he won’t appreciate you being so rude. Jennifer is entitled to her opinions, and even though she wrongfully called Steve a thief and acused him of being empty headed, there’s no reason to be mean to her. This past time has been hard on all of us in fandom, emotions have been running high, let’s all make an effort to mend the rift and get on with our lives.
However I would recomend, Jennifer, that you stuck around and discovered how great this website really is, maybe then you’d understand what a great contribution The Lexicon is to fandom.
— December 5, 2008 @ 6:10 pm
nose_in_a_book wrote:
Nicola, you said “He gave us a guide to the wonderful world of magic that JKR created, and only real HP fans understand what Im talking about” - you seem to imply that people can only be ‘real HP fans’ if they’re also fans of the Lexicon. If this is what you are in fact insinuating, I would appreciate it if you did not presume to speak for an entire fandom (and if that’s not what you mean, than I apologize for taking it that way). There are HP fans that enjoy the Lexicon website just as there are those that don’t. Either way, liking or disliking this particular site (or Steve himself for that matter) does not make one more or less of a fan of Harry Potter. I personally have never found a need for the Lexicon, I’ve perused it once in a while, just to see what’s here (and frankly, the only reason I came today was because someone mentioned that Steve had made an announcement on the rewrite of the book that went to trial this past year), but I’ve never actually had a need to use it, I’m more than happy to refer to the set 7 books (plus 2 companion books, soon to be 3 as soon as it arrives) sitting on my shelf when I need to remind myself of something. So again, just because I or someone else doesn’t care for the Lexicon site doesn’t mean we’re not a “real fan” of HP. There are no prerequisets for being a “real fan” (and I hate that term in general) other than finding some type of enjoyment in the books that JK herself has written.
— December 5, 2008 @ 6:24 pm
gingergirl wrote:
Dear nose_in_a_book, I absolutely agree with you. Like you I hate, no not hate, detest the term ‘real fan’.
— December 5, 2008 @ 6:40 pm
Blake wrote:
Well said Jennifer. I am a true HP Fan. Without JK HP wouldn’t exist. I hope Steve dedicated his book to JK. That would be the thoughtful thing to do.
— December 5, 2008 @ 11:40 pm
Nicola Vojvodic (15) wrote:
No, folks, you misunderstand me.I wanted to say Jennifer, to explain that someone who read Harry Potter books so many times, have a burning desire to have some answers that we like to know, thats the reason why we what Steve’s book next to our HP books.You’re right, someone doesn’t like Lexicon but they are still big HP fans.They like some other companion books because they have desire to know more about HP.Like them I have desire so since 2004, Im using Lexicon…
— December 6, 2008 @ 7:54 am
Nicola Vojvodic (15) wrote:
I know that I have been very rude and mean to Jennifer, but she said a very rude thing something like: everyone who supports Steve is not worth of my time.
She insulted me, and insulted someone who wasn’t present (Steve).That’s very cowardly, and like Ron Weasley, I explode when see that and know to be rude.
I apolagize to all, and hope that Jennifer read this because I apolagize to her too, even she made a mistake calling a Steve a theif and disrespected his hard work…
— December 6, 2008 @ 8:14 am
Philip Pearce wrote:
I will look forward to reading the book
— December 6, 2008 @ 10:40 am
Liz Mann wrote:
Congratulations Steve! Two books out in a short space of time, that’s really great. I’m really happy that a compromise has been reached and that both sides appear to be satisfied.
— December 6, 2008 @ 12:17 pm
tandaradei wrote:
Don’t know how my thoughts will be taken…
One large part of my interest in all things HP is how it intersects with global transformations in society. In that view, I find fandom, fanfic, all internet projects and their offshoots (as in standard books) as extremely interesting in their own right, and as a part of this new-born community.
Obviously I will of course buy and love Steve’s book, as I have others… I rather suspect JKR fights such things because she learned to early on, as when she fought her first husband for her daughter. I think this natural but also a bit brittle, considering the transformations taking place all around us.
I do hope we can all learn to bend and not break!
— December 6, 2008 @ 5:05 pm
d wrote:
congrats - can’t wait to see it.
Perhaps if people did a lot more reading they would discover that there is a long and respected tradition of companion books. I’ll be happy to add yours to my collection.
d
— December 6, 2008 @ 6:29 pm
d wrote:
oh - meant to add…
tandaradei - I always appreciate trying to see things from another’s perspective - thank you for helping me think a little deeper about why JKR might have over reacted (imho).
— December 6, 2008 @ 6:33 pm
serious wrote:
Congratulations! Finally! Looking forward to both of your books. Also, I was just looking at the RDR site and in the third paragraph it says, “A former school media specialist living in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Vander Ark has been honored by fans of the series who appreciate his insights into the party books.” I suppose this should say “Potter books” not “party books”. Hopefully, it can be corrected easily if it is to be on the book jacket.
— December 6, 2008 @ 10:23 pm
Casey wrote:
This is my own personal opinion and probably slanted because I’m an author myself. I think the website itself is brilliant and a great resource for any Harry Potter fan, but to turn it around and now make a profit from it……seems a little slimy to me. You didn’t do any of the work involved in creating an entire world like JK Rowling did, but you are going to resort the information she presented, add some bits of commentary of your own, and now make money from that. On top of that, JK Rowling, and the law of this country asked you not to publish the book. Instead of accepting defeat, you tiptoe the line of what is acceptable and publish it anyway. You almost had me convinced you were trying to do a good thing, but to now publish the book on these terms…..you seem more and more like Lucius Malfoy to me.
Maybe you don’t understand the countless hours it takes to create a world like JK Rowling did. Try spending ten to twenty years of your life building something, then to watch someone make money from your own work……maybe then you’d understand!
— December 7, 2008 @ 11:42 am
Nicola Vojvodic (Y15) wrote:
Dear Casey,
I sometimes blows up like with Jennifer, so I just going to tell you this: You’re wrong.Steve doing that with heart and he loves that world as we do and he just want to share his knowledge with us and of course its nice to see that in hardcover.Frankly I more interested in JKs world than in characters.That doesn’t mean that I don’t love Harry, Im a big fan but that someone write a novel about JKs world but without Harry with new story I would be very happy.
— December 7, 2008 @ 1:59 pm
Nicola Vojvodic (Y15) wrote:
Of course that won’t happen because of copyright law.I do respect her work, I would be happy to writep such a novel about her world (with her permission) and give her all the money.Everyone who read her book dreams to some new magical story go out, and she sad that she maybe going to write a new story about her world of magic with marauders but for ten years.So I just say that I want to her magical world live forever with other stories but with information who originaly created that world.That’s my opinion.
— December 7, 2008 @ 2:16 pm
hpboy13 wrote:
Hallelujah! I knew you’d persevere, Steve, and I’m so incredibly happy you did. I will buy this book the day it comes out, rest assured. Any plans to do a book signing in NYC? *hint hint*
— December 7, 2008 @ 2:40 pm
Tommy wrote:
Hi! I wanted to know whether it is an Italian edit in program. Thanks Steve!
— December 7, 2008 @ 7:30 pm
Laura wrote:
I used to be fan. You are many things, but you are not stupid man. After your willful ignorance of what constitutes theft ( you can call a duck a swan all you want it’s still a duck)I will not be giving you a dime.
I find it impossible to believe that you didn’t realize all along that book of critique and essays was acceptable, and a summation of alphabetizing the notable elements in the world was not.
I really don’t care what you publish at this point. For me it’s not the matter of “he’s now keeping within the law”, it’s that you could have easily chosen to do the right thing all along and you didn’t, and you made this choice as an educated, middle-aged adult who was blinded by who knows money, greed, desperation, maybe something else.
— December 8, 2008 @ 10:52 am
JJB wrote:
Hurray! Congratulations Steve and thanks for two companion books—In Search of Harry Potter and the Lexicon–that help keep the HP world alive and current in our lives. My one complaint… why couldn’t the Lexicon come out in time for Santa to leave a copy in my Christmas stocking?
Ah well, all those waits between HP books tought me patience and a month isn’t so long comparatively speaking!
— December 8, 2008 @ 11:40 am
JJB wrote:
BTW, for the above commentors who seem to still think of this as a contest between JKR and SVA over who can legally write about Harry Potter, the Christopher Little Agency referred to in the post is JKR’s own literary agency and they are commenting for her. They have no problem with the book now so neither must anyone else. We’re all on the same side here folks,not even JKR is opposed to this new book.
Now let’s all join hands and sing the school song…
— December 8, 2008 @ 11:56 am
Nicola Vojvodic (Y15) wrote:
Well said JJB.We are all fans and on the same side people.
JJB would you…
Hogwarts,Hogwarts…
— December 8, 2008 @ 4:22 pm
JJB wrote:
Oh, All right, but you asked for it…
HOGGY WARTY HOGWARTS
TEACH US SOMETHING PLEASE…
Too loud? Uh, sorry.
Whether we be old and bald or young with scabby knees!
Oops, sorry, my voice broke on that last note X(
Our heads could do with filling with some interesting stuff…
I feel like the Weasley twins singing alone to a dirge.
Nicola Vojvodic, you be George and I’ll be Fred and… Gulp. *throws self on floor weeping in paroxysms of unresolved grief over Fred*
hpboy13, why don’t you join Nicola Vojvodic while I go find a tissue?
— December 9, 2008 @ 10:35 am
hpboy13 wrote:
It’ll be my very great pleasure - though my voice is much more off-key than the twins’!
For now they’re bare and full of air,
Dead flies, and bits of fluff!
— December 9, 2008 @ 7:42 pm
p.f. wrote:
congratulations to you and mr. falzone! you fought a tremendous fight, fair use won.
— December 10, 2008 @ 8:16 am
Nicola Vojvodic (Y15) wrote:
Oh, JJB you can call me just Nicola or Nick, now JJB, hpboy13 once more but together:
Hogwarts, Hogwarts,
Hoggy Warty Hogwarts
Teach us something please
Whether we be old and bald
Or young with scabby knees
Our heads could do with filling
With some interesting stuff
For now they’re bare and full of air
Dead flies and bits of fluff
Come people…sing…
— December 10, 2008 @ 1:38 pm
Nicola Vojvodic (Y15) wrote:
That’s good, come on everybody…
…So teach us things worth knowing,
Bring back what we’ve forgot,
Just do your best, we’ll do the rest,
And learn until our brains all rot.
Do you want it on Serbian?It’s same melody you just enjoy in the school song , the great creation of JKR that has been translated to so many languages.Oh, thank you JKR so much for creating of world of magic, the boundries and language are not barrier for HP fans.We are all together…
— December 10, 2008 @ 2:18 pm
JJB wrote:
Actually, Nicola, it’s not the same melody in Serbian as in English because it’s not even the same melody for everyone singing in English–it’s choose your own melody and off we go.
What melody do you use when you sing it in Serbian?
I only think of it with the Jim Dale audio version melody so I never had to be creative on my own..
— December 10, 2008 @ 2:56 pm
Nicola Vojvodic (Y15) wrote:
A use do one from GF/f school song in deleted scenes…I can’t stop singing, I don’t have my own so I use that one.And it’s good at Serbian too.But like Dumbledore said every one sing with his own melody…
— December 10, 2008 @ 3:23 pm
Nicola Vojvodic (Y15) wrote:
Remember what Dumbledore said, or sing just a melody and I will sing the words…
Well, now enjoy in the song:
Hogvorts,Hogvorts
Hogi Vorti
Hogvorts,
Molimo te, nauci
nas nesto,
Bilo da smo stari
i celavi
Ili mladi, misicavi
Nasim glavama
bi dobro doslo
Da naucimo
nesto zanimljivo,
Sada su prazne i vazduha pune
Trica, kucina i komadica vune,
Nauci nas nesto sto vredi znati Sve sto smo zaboravili vrati
Daj sve od sebe, mi cemo sami do ostalog doci
Uceci, dok nam se glava ne rastoci!
— December 10, 2008 @ 3:39 pm
Nicola Vojvodic (Y15) wrote:
What a extraordinary moment this is.HP makes a international friendship.You’re great folks…a this is such a great site…
— December 10, 2008 @ 3:51 pm
kamion wrote:
Steve, congrats with the release of “In Search” It’s a pleasant reading of a booklet well edited and richly documented.
In a way the book has the same handicap as the movies: you make a picture - a fussy picture - in your head what the place mentioned in HP looks like and that doesn’t always match with the pictures provided in your book.
And then it’s sort of hard to get back that fussy one you cherished a while.
In some cases you took a bit of magic, in some you added new magic.
Especially that door at Charing Cross Road is soooo Leaky Cauldron, particlairy for someone like me who wondered looking at Charing Cross from Trafalgar Square why the heck JKR imagined the Cauldron at that unlikely spot wedged between WhiteHall and the Strand. ( wrong Charing Cross it turned out)
Godrics Hollow I imaged somewhat cosier then the picture suggest, but on the other hand that gate to an empty field more or less in the midth of the village ( searched Google Earth for it) is intriging; the Potters were well to do and posh enough to get a bride from the Black family, so a considerable piece of land around their dwelling
would be appropriate.
Btw I had a bit of search for the Search, Waterstone shelved it under the Travel section, not the first place I would go looking for a HP related book.
— December 11, 2008 @ 7:52 am
hpboy13 wrote:
Wow, Nicola, that’s so awesome! I’ve never actually read the books in Russian, because I believe that nothing can compare with the sheer brilliance of Jo’s original.
— December 11, 2008 @ 7:37 pm
Fernando wrote:
Congratulations Steve!
Finally we can get a grip on your book.
Well done!
— December 11, 2008 @ 8:08 pm
JJB wrote:
hpboy13, are you Russian?
Now, if only Tommy would sing us the school song in Italian… that would make my giorno!
— December 12, 2008 @ 11:52 am
Nicola Vojvodic (15) wrote:
Thank’s hpboy13.Of course I agree with you but I was 8 years old when I became a HP fan so with 11 a read first five on English and later 6 and 7 book.So I know HP on Serbian and also on English…
— December 12, 2008 @ 3:31 pm
Nicola Vojvodic (15) wrote:
And is ‘kamion’ a Russian too?The ‘kamion’ on Serbian means truck so I’ve wondered.So hpboy13 how you like a Beedle?I had no chance to get it from Serbia, so Im very curious…
Cheers for everyone…
— December 12, 2008 @ 3:50 pm
Tommy wrote:
for JJB:
Hogwarts, Hogwarts del nostro cuore,
te ne preghiamo, insegnaci bene
giovani, vecchi, o del Pleistocene,
la nostra testa tu sola riempi
di tante cose interessanti.
Perché ora è vuota e piena di venti,
di mosche morte e idee deliranti.
Insegnaci dunque quel che è richiesto,
della memoria cancella l’oblio
fai del tuo meglio, a noi spetta il resto
finché al cervello daremo l’addio.
— December 12, 2008 @ 7:26 pm
Nicola Vojvodic (15) wrote:
Cool.I like it, thanks Tommy.
— December 13, 2008 @ 2:50 am
hpboy13 wrote:
Yup, I most certainly am Russian. Well, actually 3/4 Ukrainian and 1/4 Belarussian, and born in US but made in Ukraine, but I speka Russian. And no, there’s no “kamion” in Russian as far as I know; I think truck is something like “gruzovik” (the Russian alphabet is different, I transliterate as best I can).
).
Anyway, I absolutely adored Beedle! It’s like reading a new HP book, except there’s no frantic “what will happen next?” feeling. I will forever treasure my copy (not leats because it’s signed by the Pottercast quartet and Cheryl Klein
Now, I’m trying to get NYC’s HP Meetup group to organize something for the release of the Lexicon. It’s only fitting!
— December 13, 2008 @ 3:01 am
Nicola Vojvodic (15) wrote:
Oh, nice.Well my mother is half Hungarian, half Serbian, and my father is half Serbian, half German, but we live in Serbia, and no one from my family doesn’t speak English except me and my 12 years old sister.She’s also a big fan of HP.
However, Serbia belongs to south slovenian group and Russia to East slovenian group, so there’s a small differences in some words and language.
About Beedle, I hope that I will get a chance to get it soon…
Cheers for you hpboy13
— December 13, 2008 @ 5:16 am
ravenclaw Rambler wrote:
“……….looking at Charing Cross from Trafalgar Square why the heck JKR imagined the Cauldron at that unlikely spot wedged between WhiteHall and the Strand. ( wrong Charing Cross it turned out)”
Not the wrong one at all - Charing Cross Road is the road running south from Centre Point to Charing Cross.
— December 13, 2008 @ 10:07 am
mike dumbledore wrote:
Now, why couldn’t you simply use this format in the first place, Steve? Instead of going through that legal battle, you could have initially written your book in the new format.
— December 13, 2008 @ 11:50 am
Matt wrote:
Actually, Laura, there are plenty of people who have ‘profited’ from the Potter phenomenon, in one form or another. Mellisa from The Cauldron has benefited greatly, and she benefited off of the backs of other people’s work at the Cauldron site. She wasn’t the original webmistress, so I wouldn’t throw accusations so freely. Doesn’t matter to me, I walked away from the Cauldron, and I won’t look back. Steve, you can delete this if you feel you must.
— December 13, 2008 @ 2:31 pm
JJB wrote:
Tommy, Mille grazie!
— December 13, 2008 @ 8:59 pm
Ginevra Potter wrote:
Congratulations, Steve and all! I am happy this worked out for you.
— December 13, 2008 @ 9:19 pm
Ron Big Fan wrote:
First of all, CONGRATS!!! for both books
And second but not last… THANKS not only for these new books but also for the wonderful years that you have gave to us through the Lexicon site.
Wish you the best for the next year and PLEASE do not “hack” or pirate the new books it took him a lot of time (and money) to finally put them on shelves
— December 14, 2008 @ 6:06 pm
jgardiner wrote:
Congratulations on publishing your books. The Lexicon has always been the first place I have gone to find out anything of interest about the Harry Potter World. People like me just want to read, read, read and read. All new and juicy information about what is going on with Harry Potter and JK Rowling. So thanks. Don’t give up and keep us hooked on Harry. The Lexicon forever!!!!!!
— December 15, 2008 @ 9:15 pm
Nicola Vojvodic (15) wrote:
Yeah.Well said jgardiner!If I want to find out something about JK’s world of magic I come here.Also if Im bored I come here and look for my friends JJB,hpboy13,prl,Steve and all you folks.Steve worked so hard on Lexicon site all this years and he deserve to publish that book if that makes him happy (that makes me happy a lot).
Like jgardiner, I can’t stop reading.My brain says:”More,more!” and first at all my heart because I can’t live without JK’s world of magic…
— December 16, 2008 @ 1:38 pm
hpboy13 wrote:
You said it guys! As I remember, the Lexicon was the onyl site I visited in the week leading up to DH. First, because I knew it was completely spoiler-free. Second, because I couldn’t resist the challenge of finding the number of days left in the books (which was convenient because I was rereading the books!)
— December 16, 2008 @ 8:57 pm
Veena wrote:
Terrific Steve!!! LOVE THE LEXICON! You’re brave and knowledgeable, and I’m so glad it’s all working out to everyone’s satisfaction. Congratulations!
— December 18, 2008 @ 1:46 am
ravenclaw Rambler wrote:
The site your link leads to says it will be Jan 16th - not 12th - and only has prices in US$. What’s the best place to order from in UK?
BTW AmazonUK says it’s coming out on Jan 19th.
Confused.
— December 18, 2008 @ 5:05 pm
Steve wrote:
I think the latest is that the book will be out on the 16th in the US. The date change is more than anything because of the holidays. Then a date of the 19th in the UK sounds about right. And just FYI, it looks like I’ll be doing some events in London and other UK cities at the beginning of February. I’ll post more details about the book tour plans soon.
— December 18, 2008 @ 6:42 pm
JJB wrote:
FYI, I just received an update from Amazon.Co.UK for Nicola’s copy of the Lexicon. They said it should ship and/or be delivered between January 12 and January 22. Previously the release date was listed as the 19th.
BTW, Nicola, your Amazon order has shipped… Tales of Beadle the Bard and In Search of Harry Potter are on their way to you as we speak–er, write?
I’m sure you’ll enjoy them both.
— December 19, 2008 @ 6:20 pm
JJB wrote:
Actually, the Amazon.Co.UK order has DISPATCHED–after all, we’re being strictly British with this order.
Cheers.
— December 19, 2008 @ 6:33 pm
hpboy13 wrote:
Aw come on, we wait months and months on end and now we have to wait 4 MORE days? *mutters to self “patience is a virtue, patience in a virtue” *
Steve, what about a US tour? Including NYC?
— December 20, 2008 @ 2:29 am
Nicola Vojvodic (15) wrote:
No matter.Waiting will pay out when we get our Lexicon in hands and discover a hard work of our friend - Steve.
I will be reading Beedle and In search so I can wait….
And of course that Im going to enjoy…
Cheers to everyone…
— December 20, 2008 @ 5:54 am
Kathy from Las Vegas wrote:
Thank you Steve!! I’m a 62-year-old HP fan and have been following this closely. I have never been personally involved in any HP community, but I’ve been cheering you on quietly. I just ordered The Lexicon today.
All my best to you and your future endeavors.
— December 20, 2008 @ 6:10 pm
Chv wrote:
Steve, While I understand why JKR and her people brought the suit, and value the idea of the integrity of a person’s intellectual property, I’m very glad for you that you were able to publish your work. I’ve used the Lexicon countless times, just to get clarify things from canon, or to learn more about HP topics that interested me. I’ve read numerous fanfic authors who say the Lexicon is their constant companion and an invaluable reference tool.
Congratulations, thanks for your hard work and dedication through the years, and thanks especially for taking the judgment and working with it to give us your Lexicon book. Cheers!
— December 26, 2008 @ 7:37 pm
Bilius wrote:
Cheers to Steve!
Pip, Pip!!
Can’t wait to read them!
Both will be very useful HP references.
— December 28, 2008 @ 6:22 pm
Mike wrote:
I for one won’t be buying it. And people should know what they’re talking about saying the lawsuit wasn’t necasary (isn’t spelled right lol) because it actually was. Would you like it if you had all of your books published and someone mad their own books with your work word per word. Not even that but JKR said she was going to publish an encyclopedia one day too.
— December 30, 2008 @ 1:05 am
hpboy13 wrote:
Mike, can you please just GET OVER IT!! The HP fandom was divided for months on end regarding this issue, and both sides of the argument have been heard so much that I’m frankly naseous of it all. For better or worse, it has been resolved: Jo gets to keep her precious copyright, WB gets $7K, the Lexicon still gets published but with a disclaimer. Buy the book or don’t, but can you please refrain from bringing this whole argument up again and ruining the cheerful mood in this Pensieve?
— December 30, 2008 @ 3:24 am
AmanitaMuscaria wrote:
I am so glad you’ve sorted out a way to publish - we’ve seen websites go down and disappear for various reasons, and it would be a sad thing not to have the Lexicon as a reference resource.
— January 1, 2009 @ 7:23 pm
Steve wrote:
The book is now available on Amazon and will be in bookstores everywhere by this coming weekend. And the website isn’t going anywhere, that I can tell you for sure.
— January 10, 2009 @ 8:33 pm
ravenclaw rambler wrote:
Amazon are still giving a 19th January UK publication date, but say I won’t get it until 29th Jan at the earliest, and possibly not until 9th Feb!
Anyone know what the problem is?
— January 14, 2009 @ 2:16 pm
Kathy wrote:
My Lexicon arrived yesterday (Jan. 15th)! I love it! I’m about ready to start my yearly reading of the series. I have the full set of audible books narrated by Jim Dale and I’m planning on just sitting back and listening to them all in a row this time. How nice it’s going to be to have The Lexicon close by to look up those names, gems and little tidbits I can’t recall in my old brain. Thanks Steve!!!
— January 16, 2009 @ 1:30 pm
Aberlour wrote:
Steve, I received your Lexicon and am delighted you were able to publish it. I a disappointed that it is not as well cross-referenced as your website. I plan to keep it handy as I re-read the books this summer.
My wife just pointed out that the rug dealer, “Ali Bashir”, is the peddler man in the musical “Oklahoma!”
— January 18, 2009 @ 10:34 pm
Steve wrote:
The peddler in Oklahoma is Ali Hakim (I’ve done that show a few times, variously as musical director, as set designer, and as stage director!).
I’m so glad to hear that you’re enjoying the book!
Steve
— January 18, 2009 @ 11:54 pm
Nicola Vojvodic (15) wrote:
What?! 9th Feb?Oh, Im going to freak out If they don’t shipp it to me to the end of Jan.I’ve already have a problem with UPS shipping…they are a bit slow in Serbia…oh well.
Thanks Ravenclaw Rambler for this information…
Cheers…
— January 19, 2009 @ 8:23 am
inlovewithsirius wrote:
will i be able to get it in the uk?
— January 20, 2009 @ 2:54 pm
Nicola Vojvodic (15) wrote:
Well, maybe if you look in local book stores…throught Amazon we must wait…and I must count the UPS shipping in Serbia which sometimes can make a problem to countries that are not in EU…
But your copy should arrive as soon is possible…perhaps by the end of Jan.
Cheers…
— January 20, 2009 @ 4:08 pm
LPO wrote:
Steve,
I’ve enjoyed the Lexicon for years now. It is so nice to have the book! I’ve been enjoying it. Thank you for preserving and getting it published. The multiple disclaimers are amusing! LPO
— January 22, 2009 @ 12:31 am
ravenclaw rambler wrote:
So, Amazon’s estinmate of the 29th was wrong. It was dispatched today!
Unfortunately, it’s coming by Royal Mail, not owl post, so it may be a while yet!
— January 24, 2009 @ 3:14 pm
Nicola Vojvodic (15) wrote:
Huh, Im going to die…can’t wait…it going to take lot of time to come in Serbia…maybe I’ll get it for Valentine’s day!But I can’t wait so long!Must read it, must read it…huh…
Self control, self control, self control…:-)
Er, JJB where are you?!
— January 25, 2009 @ 6:10 am
Iain wrote:
…I’m confused about the legality of the publication of the “Lexicon”…after all, there *are* several similar companion-books for other works (and HP itself)…
Ah, well. Congrats! I think I’ll always prefer the online-version of the “Lexicon,” though.
— February 10, 2009 @ 2:05 pm
Kerri wrote:
Someone said further up that since the publisher doesn’t have a problem with it, neither should we. Well, as a consumer I respectfully disagree.
Steve, if you had started off with whatever content that you have now, perhaps I would feel differently. But you stepped over the boundary as a fan, and made JKR take you to court and -force- you to back off and make these changes. You had numerous chances to back off and make changes, and you refused.
For that, you have lost my respect - and I refuse to purchase your book.
— February 11, 2009 @ 5:03 pm
Steve wrote:
Hi, Kerri
You’re definitely entitled to your opinion, but I do need to correct one error in what you wrote. Your statement that I had “numerous chances to back off and make changes” and that I “refused” is completely, utterly false. As for the rest of your analysis, well, let me just say that you don’t really have any idea what happened.
Steve
— February 15, 2009 @ 9:18 pm
Astarte wrote:
Steve, belated congrats - been out of the loop with my little ones and missed the announcement. I’ll be signing up for text message announcements this weekend (getting a new cell phone plan with unlimited texts on Friday). If you’re anywhere a reasonable distance from Cleveland my crew will come to see you. That little baby that was at Prophecy is now a toddler who already pretends to cast spells with anything somewhat resembling a wand (i.e. curly straws are close enough for him). Your books will be an intrigal part of how I share the wonderful Potterverse with my children when they’re old enough. Thank you so much for persevering. I’m sorry to see how divided the fandom has been over this, it’s really a shame and much of it due to a lack of understanding of the legal issues and background. I have a small inkling of how much time and personal money you must have invested to bring us this website over the years and am thrilled to be able to contribute back some small portion of appreciation for your hard work. Knowing that JKR herself referenced your indexing work while she was writing, I was really shocked at how far this legal battle went. If I ever manage to publish my own fiction (which I am working on, slowly), I would be so thrilled if I could manage to attract the dedication and hard work of an individual like yourself. Imitation isn’t the sincerest form of flattery - creating a lexicon like this is!
— February 26, 2009 @ 9:09 am
Brenton wrote:
Steve, big congrats! Had been following the case and am on the hunt for a copy, but unfortunately cannot find one down here in Australia
— March 7, 2009 @ 5:53 pm
Zivlok wrote:
I was always on JKR’s side through the whole debacle, but was delighted to learn that you did go ahead, make the changes, and then publish it. I wish it hadn’t taken so long for those changes to be made, but, whatever.
I skimmed through it at a Barnes and Noble, but I’m not gonna buy it. I think the Lexicon is a great resource because of it’s searchable, categorized, linked, all that fancy computer stuff, and so printing it out and trimming it down makes it lose its usefulness to me as a resource. Also, it didn’t have an entry for “Flipendo”, which I found disappointing, because it is THE BEST SPELL EVAR.
Seriously, it can do anything. Gotta push a block back? Flipendo! Gotta kill a spider? Flipendo! Gotta fight Voldemort? Flipendo! Kitten stuck in a tree? Flipendo! Lost your homework? Flipendo!
Anyway, I congratulate you on making the changes necessary to meet the judge’s decision, and I hope it sells well, but if I need to fact check, I’ll just go to my bookmarks bar, not my bookshelf.
— March 7, 2009 @ 8:58 pm
The Other Sister wrote:
I really don’t understand what all the fuss was about. Aren’t there many, many books out there explaining, discussing, commenting on Harry Potter? All these authors made money off Jk Rowling’s character as well. So why did they pick on you, Steve?
— April 10, 2009 @ 11:39 pm
Stelmaria wrote:
The prospect of the new HP movie finally coming up in a few months reminded me of all things Harry Potter after a long break, since the last book and movie, and I also remembered how curious I had found JK’s objection to a companion last year. I just checked wiki at HP law suits (she’s done so many there’s an encyclopaedia page about it, what does that say? Hahaha)and was thoroughly depressed to find there that judge whatever’s-he-called ‘ruled in her favour’. Came running to the Lexicon for something more specific, to discover this ‘news page’ (yiey!) and that the publisher went on anyways (double yiey!).
Surprising that so many people are ungfamiliar with the term ‘companion book’ and to those, I would recomend a trip to the nearest bookstore, please do us all a favour and go to the Tolkien section (for argument’s sake) and counnt just how many dozens of companions you find there…
Believe me, most young authors out there would be begging to have someone write a companion to their book; I know I would
Congrats Steve, and remember some of us think, she should be thanking you
— May 29, 2009 @ 9:12 pm
Stelmaria wrote:
(sorry for the typos, 2 in the morning and all… *need to stop watching the Half Blood Prince Trailer over and over, need to go to bed…*)
— May 29, 2009 @ 9:19 pm
ButSiriuslyFolks wrote:
In all honestly, I kind of tend to side with the thought that characters and ideas are the property of the author. But, Ms. Rowling seemed to have little problem with the companion books, fan fiction, and endless websites that seemed to “take over” the ownership of her precious characters BEFORE the series was completed. Frankly, I’m no fan of fan fiction, but in essence, those types of obsessive and fervent acts of passion fueled her billion dollars in profit. Now, suddenly, when the series is done and she’s closed every door as to what might happen (taking ownership away from the fans…no more Harry/Hermione stories), suddenly companion books infringe upon her profit margin? Sorry, Jo…love your work and love the books, but you allowed the monster to grow out of control and to try and reel it in now is petty. I love the Lexicon and think it is of tremendous use as I teach my Harry Potter summer school enrichment, going on its seventh year.
— July 7, 2009 @ 7:21 pm
Scruncher wrote:
My child loved the Harry Potter books so much but was having problems keeping track of the characters, so she bought the companion book. However I explained to her that she was an awful, terrible person for purchasing a text that was intended to help her enjoy the HP books by organizing data for her. I am glad to say that she has learned her lesson and has switched to reading the Twilight series as that is more in keeping with her limited mental abilities.
— September 10, 2009 @ 4:04 am
Maeghan wrote:
Meh, I’ll wait for the one Rowling is writing. It’ll have all her original information from the books, plus more information on the world itself.
— October 7, 2009 @ 10:52 pm