Quidditch Through the Ages

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From its origins on Queerditch Marsh in the eleventh century to the sophisticated sport played today, discover how �Quidditch unites witches and wizards from all walks of life, bringing us together to share moments of exhilaration, triumph and (for those who support the Chudley Cannons) despair’, according to Professor Albus Dumbledore’s foreword.

Do you know why refereeing a Quidditch match was once a task for only the bravest witches and wizards, or how to tell a Transylvanian Tackle from a Woollongong Shimmy? In this enlightening and highly popular Hogwarts library book, Kennilworthy Whisp reveals the daring highs and dangerous lows of the glorious game of Quidditch.

J.K. Rowling

Quidditch Through the Ages

A warning: If you rip, tear, shred, bend, fold, deface, disfigure, smear, smudge, throw, drop or in any other manner damage, mistreat or show lack of respect towards this book, the consequences will be as awful as it is within my power to make them.

В В В В Irma Pince, Hogwarts Librarian

Praise for Quidditch through the Ages

�Kennilworthy Whisp’s painstaking research has uncovered a veritable treasure trove of hitherto unknown facts about the sport of warlocks. A fascinating read.’

В В В В Bathilda Bagshot, author, A History of Magic

�Whisp has produced a thoroughly enjoyable book; Quidditch fans are sure to find it both instructive and entertaining.’

В В В В Editor, Which Broomstick?

�The definitive work on the origins and history of Quidditch. Highly recommended.’

    Brutus Scrimgeour, author, The Beaters’ Bible

�Mr Whisp shows a lot of promise. If he keeps up the good work, he may well find himself sharing a photoshoot with me one of these days!’

В В В В Gilderoy Lockhart, author, Magical Me

�Bet you anything it’ll be a bestseller. Go on, I bet you.’

В В В В Ludovic Bagman, England and Wimbourne Wasps Beater

�I’ve read worse.’

В В В В Rita Skeeter, Daily Prophet

With thanks to J. K. Rowling for creating this book and so generously giving all her royalties from it to Comic Relief and Lumos

Foreword

QUIDDITCH THROUGH THE AGES is one of the most popular titles in the Hogwarts school library. Madam Pince, our librarian, tells me that it is �pawed about, dribbled on and generally maltreated’ nearly every day – a high compliment for any book. Anyone who plays or watches Quidditch regularly will relish Mr Whisp’s book, as do those of us interested in wider wizarding history. As we have developed the game of Quidditch, so it has developed us; Quidditch unites witches and wizards from all walks of life, bringing us together to share moments of exhilaration, triumph and (for those who support the Chudley Cannons) despair.

It was with some difficulty, I must own, that I persuaded Madam Pince to part with one of her books so that it might be copied for wider consumption. Indeed, when I told her it was to be made available to Muggles, she was rendered temporarily speechless and neither moved nor blinked for several minutes. When she came to herself she was thoughtful enough to ask whether I had taken leave of my senses. I was pleased to reassure her on that point and went on to explain why I had taken this unprecedented decision.

Muggle readers will need no introduction to the work of Comic Relief and Lumos, so I now repeat my explanation to Madam Pince for the benefit of witches and wizards who have purchased this book. Comic Relief harnesses laughter to fight poverty and injustice in a most imaginative way. Using it to raise funds to help save and improve lives – a brand of magic to which we all aspire. Lumos, in turn, brings light to the darkest of places, revealing children hidden from the world and guiding them home. By buying this book – and I would advise you to buy it, because if you read it too long without handing over money you will find yourself the object of a Thief’s Curse – you too will be contributing to this magical mission.

I would be deceiving my readers if I