Harry, a history : the true story of a boy wizard, his fans, and life inside the Harry Potter phenomenon

Melissa Anelli can truly say that Harry Potter changed her life.

An unemployed graduate when she first fell under the boy wizard's spell, her growing passion for the books opened the door to a career which must surely be the envy of every Potter fan, giving her privileged access not only to J.K.

Rowling but to all the VIPs of the Potterverse. Now, looking back in the aftermath of the seventh and final instalment of the saga, Harry: A Historyis both a thoroughly entertaining study of the global impact Potter has had on popular culture, and an engaging personal account of Melissa's own journey as a fan.

As well as knowing everyone who is anyone in the world of Harry Potter -- from the agent who first took a leap of faith in an unknown chidren's author to the stars, big and small, of the Harry Potter films -- Melissa is ideally placed to write about how it feels to be enraptured by an invented world.

Anyone with the least interest in how Harry Potter became the cultural phenomenon of its time will welcome her insights into its rise and rise; while Potter fans will love her book -- because she is one of them.