Harry Potter has turned 34 years old -- the character, that is, not the books -- so his original publisher has got a little something special for him. Bloomsbury, J.K. Rowling's British publisher, is publishing entirely new "children's editions" of all seven Harry Potter books in the U.K.
These special edition volumes will be highlighted by brand new cover art from artist Jonny Duddle, the final four of which have just been unveiled by Bloomsbury. You'll notice (they're embedded below) that, similar to the American edition covers by Mary GrandPre, each of the new covers illustrates a pivotal scene from the book it adorns. The redesign goes beyond the covers, though, and incorporates all new designs and typesetting for the interiors as well. Bloomsbury intends for these new interiors to be more "child-friendly," and therefore easier for kids to read.
"I'm hugely excited to work my way through the wonderful books," said Duddle when the new editions were first announced. The artist had never previously read any of the books save the first, and that was many years ago. Imagine his surprise when Rowling and Bloomsbury selected him to create the new covers. "I couldn't have asked for more enjoyable subject matter. It's exciting, daunting and I feel the weight of responsibility, and I'm just hoping that my illustrations faithfully reflect the characters and world created by J.K. Rowling."
Duddle is best known for his award-winning picture books, including "The Pirate Cruncher" and "The Pirates Next Door." The latter title won the Waterstones Children's Prize. Duddle has credits on several Aardman films, and has also done illustrations for the novels of Terry Pratchett.
Perhaps the most enticing feature of the new editions for fans will be the inclusion of highlights from Pottermore. Bloomsbury worked directly with Rowling to determine the Pottermore content that will be included, all of which will be added to the back of the books, appendix-style. The chosen Pottermore content hasn't been announced, but it's a safe bet that the extensive biographies of major characters Rowling's been publishing will be among the new passages.
All seven new editions will be published in paperback and hardback on September 1, 2014.
