The Dark Arts

Why the American Harry Potter pales next to his Brit doppelganger.

by Robin Rice

(CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VERSION)

visual art/books

Harry Potter fans will go to great lengths to find the British Bloomsbury editions in order to read author J.K. Rowling's words in the original Queen's English — not Americanese. And the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in England, famously became Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone here because we were thought to be too ignorant to have heard of the Philosopher's Stone.

It's illegal to sell U.K. Potters in the U.S. because Bloomsbury sold the U.S. territorial copyright to Scholastic Inc. Nevertheless, readers are well-advised to seek out the Brits, not just for textual authenticity but to avoid reported incidents of repulsion and nausea resulting from inadvertent or prolonged visual contact with Mary GrandPré's American covers and illustrations.

Using what she describes on her Web site as a "soft geometry" style (I'd call it camouflage for her lack of anatomical knowledge), GrandPré reduces the characters to crude cartoons of ciphers. Her drawing skills are so minimal that she daren't attempt Voldemort except as Tom Riddle seen from the back. She can't show anything wonderful, either: She depicts Fleur Delacour, "a woman of such breathtaking beauty that the room seemed to have become airless," as a simpering Gretel clone. Rowling is said to have no personal contact with GrandPré. Good call.

Potter is published in more than 60 languages, but Bloomsbury retained rights to the stories in French, German, Italian, Spanish and Japanese. For volumes one through six, it issued different covers for each language. The cultural stereotypes are entertaining but a little depressing. Emily Walcker's French Harry, Ron and Hermione wear tall pointed witch hats (costumes never mentioned in the books). Sabine Wilharm's German Harry is very superior in his über stylish round glasses.

Several different artists did cover art for the U.K. books. Cliff Wright is credited in miniscule type on my paperback version of Bloomsbury's The Prisoner of Azkaban. It's my favorite and shows a baby-faced but determined Harry and Hermione flying on Bucky, the Hippogriff.

Bloomsbury released all of its editions of Deathly Hallows, the finale in the series, with the same cover art throughout Europe and the U.K. Jason Cockroft's picture designed for children combines explosive pointless action with a flawed vision of the characters.

Bloomsbury has also issued stark adult covers for all of the stories (the texts are identical). Michael Wildsmith's sinister Slytherin locket decorated with an emerald "S" may be the best of all.

U.K. editions can be hard to come by. U.S. Amazon does not sell them but will help you order from pricey merchants like TR Booksellers in Brownsville, Pa. The slogan on their Web site: "Looking for a bargain? Go elsewhere." On Amazon, TR was asking $144.95 for a deluxe U.K. edition, but it does not currently offer any Potter books on its own site.

However, Amazon in Canada says it will sell to U.S. customers using a credit card. I guess it's a bit like prescription drugs. The postage will be higher, of course, and there's a possibility that customs will tax it.

(r_rice@citypaper.net)