I love Harry
Potter.
J.K. Rowling has
been my hero ever since I was a little kid. Her stories made me truly love
reading. I would devour those books, and waiting years for each one to come out
was absolute torture. Where was Rowling going to take me next? What was going
to happen to Harry? Were Ron and Hermione ever going to get together? And could
Voldemort actually die this time?
Let’s just say
that I was invested. That’s why it was extremely exciting when my friend and
fellow Harry Potter fan, Jackie, told me about her Harry-Potter-related quest
this semester. We are both studying abroad in the Netherlands, and the
program's set-up allows for most students to jet off to various locations every
weekend in the name of experience and good times.
Jackie's quest?
To get a Harry Potter book from every country she visited.
Interview with Jackie Marr:
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| harrypotterforum.com |
I really like
Harry Potter and it’s the reason I always wanted to go to London. That sparked
my whole interest in traveling to begin with, so I figured, why not? And I love
books. So I figured, I want to get a book in each country and there should be
some sort of theme to it. Harry Potter is everywhere, so why not?
What places have you gotten them?
I got them in
Dublin, Maastricht, Stockholm, Florence, Krakow, Berlin, and Porto – I have an
extra one too. That one’s from London.
Which book is the extra one?
The first one. I
got them both in English.
So the other ones are in the languages of
the countries you bought them in?
Yeah. I can’t
read them, but I’ll probably put the rest on my shelf and add to it as I travel
more. I don’t want to stop now. I want to keep going. I’ll definitely reread
the first book though since it’s in English.
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| blog.syracuse.com |
No, the fourth
one is. I just bought the first one twice because I didn’t get the cover I
wanted. It was the tenth anniversary edition instead of the one with the train.
So I bought the one with the train too. Plus, I figured I’d just start around
again.
How difficult was it to find these Harry
Potter books?
You figure that
everyone loves Harry Potter so it should be in the airport bookstores and stuff
like that, but it isn’t. The stores only have the books that are really big
right now, like Diary of a Wimpy Kid
for the children’s section. So you just have to find a major book chain, which
is kind of hard because you don’t know what they are in the different
countries. But once you find one, it’s pretty easy.
So, have you missed any places – like
you’ve gone to a place and you haven’t gotten a Harry Potter book?
I couldn’t get
one in Zadar, Croatia, because they didn’t have a bookstore. I looked it up
online too and the covers are the same as the American ones.
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| gutsmanblog.blogspot.com |
I think they’re
really cool. I mean, I’ve seen the American ones so often and that’s just like,
“Oh. It’s an American one.” But I really liked the Dutch one. It’s super modern
and all of the series is like that. Harry
Potter and the Chamber of Secrets just looks like snakeskin and the first
book’s cover is just clouds.
So, it’s very modern and almost
minimalist?
Yeah. It’s Harry
Potter without being like… HARRY POTTER! It doesn’t have the boy wizard on the
front or anything big. So, that was cool.
Do you think any foreign covers represent
the books better by emphasizing something the American covers don’t? Basically,
are any of the foreign covers more fitting in your opinion?
I mean, they’re
all different. When you choose a book cover, you have to go through a ton of
decisions. So, having the availability of so many different covers of the same
book from so many different countries is great. But I like the German and
Swedish ones because they’re super-childish. They’re like, “Oh! Here’s a
scene!” and it’s fun.
That sounds nice. So, what’s the weirdest
cover you’ve ever seen?
Well, there was
one that I didn’t get in Italy. It was just weird. It was only a broomstick or
something like that. It might have been for the third one.
Probably the
British first one with the train. It’s so iconic and Americans have just never
been able to have it. It’s always been “Sorcerer’s Stone” and “Philosopher’s
Stone” and now I finally have that one. It’s the one that started it all.
It certainly started a journey for you.
It seems like looking for the books really added to your travels. So, final question:
What do you think you’ve gotten out of this experience?
You know, when I
look at the book I think of what I did when I went to that place because I
haven’t really bought souvenirs from anywhere. A Harry Potter book is the one
thing I get from each country. I can remember that I went with so-and-so and we
did this and that. It’s a reminder of my trip. I also love just being able to
see the culture through the bookstores themselves – the books they’re
advertising, the different cover arts for the books, or what’s popular in those
cultures. It can be a difference in selection overall or sometimes different
sections are more prominent, whether it be romance novels or non-fiction, which
is really big in some countries. It was just a great experience overall.
* * *
Jackie succeeded
in getting the entire Harry Potter series, plus an extra copy, and I have to
admire her for setting a goal and completing her quest. More importantly, she
let her love of books influence other areas of her life. Books sparked her
interest in travel, and travel allowed her to expand her knowledge of books.
She experienced the literary culture of countries all over Europe and had a
great time doing it. For those interested in a similar endeavor, here are some
tips from Jackie to get all seven books with minimal difficulty.
#1. Look up
where bookstores are before you go. Don't think you'll just discover
bookstores everywhere during your travels. They can be hard to find – sometimes
they're hidden in some back street that you would normally be completely
unaware of. Having a plan and destination makes it more likely that you'll
achieve your goal. If you can't find any bookstores offhand, have a list of
chain bookstores that will ensure you'll find a Harry Potter book. If you're
serious about it, you can hit all the stores on your list on the last day of
travel.
#2. Tell your
travel mates to look out for bookstores. Harry didn't complete his quest
without his friends, and neither should you! When it came to collecting Harry Potter,
having friends help out definitely made Jackie's quest easier. Her friend,
Caitlyn, became her partner in crime on her Potter quest. Once, Jackie
remembers, “We were in Italy and I was just drinking my coffee, and she's like
'I found a bookstore!' and pulled me out of the café.” If your friends see the
book you need, they can lead you to the bookstore, or if you want, just tell
them to buy a copy if they see it. You can always pay them back, but you can't
always find a store on your own.
#3. Roll with
the punches. You might not get the exact cover or type of book you
want. Some stores will only have
paperbacks and some only hardcovers. They might not have the entire series in
stock. Some destinations won't have stores where you can get Harry Potter at
all. It's not the end of the world – getting all of the books is nice, but the
search is more about the experience. You can check out cool bookstores and have
adventures finding them, and it's a good way to explore the unfamiliar with a
little touch of home. Jackie traveled not only with her friends, but also with
Harry Potter – the books she had grown up with and loved.
Jackie hopes to
never stop collecting Harry Potter books.
By Alexandra
Kowal
