‘Harry Potter: A History of Magic’ to open at the New-York Historical Society

The New-York Historical Society is planning to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter’s literary arrival in the United States with an exhibit stocked with writings, books and objects taken from a wide range of Potter-powered collections.

The exhibition, “Harry Potter: A History of Magic,” doesn’t launch until Oct. 5, but advance tickets will be made available to the general public starting in April (New-York Historical Society members can RSVP as early as Feb. 14).

The show will include drawings by author J.K. Rowling as well as artwork by Jim Kay and Mary GrandPré, two of the illustrators best known for their work in the series.

It was 1998 when Rowling’s “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” was first published on this side of the pond, a year after it was issued in the United Kingdom. The story of the boy wizard has grown from book to series to film series to a cultural genre, and such institutions as the British Library, Scholastic (Potter’s publishers) and the New-York Historical Society have accumulated collections of related items, including drawings and manuscripts. This show will feature these items, among other yet-to-be-announced attractions.

The New-York Historical Society is at 170 Central Park West. For more information, call 212-873-3400 or go to nyhistory.org.