Hogwarts School Textbooks

Hogwarts School Textbooks are the required educational Magical Objects used by students attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. These books are the primary source of theoretical knowledge and practical instruction for all subjects taught at the school, from Potions and Transfiguration to History of Magic. While some function like ordinary Muggle textbooks, many are enchanted, possessing magical properties that can range from moving illustrations to aggressive, sentient behaviour. They form the foundation of a wizarding education and are typically purchased at Flourish and Blotts in Diagon Alley.

Hogwarts textbooks vary greatly in appearance, from thin pamphlets to heavy, leather-bound tomes. Their content includes spell incantations, wand movements, potion recipes, historical accounts, and diagrams of magical creatures and plants. The covers often feature titles in ornate, sometimes moving, lettering. Their primary use is academic. Students study them to complete homework assignments, write essays, and prepare for examinations such as the Ordinary Wizarding Level (O.W.L.) and Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Test (N.E.W.T.) exams. However, their magical nature can make them more than simple repositories of information.

• Enchanted Illustrations: Many wizarding books, including textbooks, contain photographs and diagrams that move.
• Interactive or Aggressive Nature: Certain textbooks are imbued with advanced enchantments that give them a semblance of life. The Monster Book of Monsters, for example, is notoriously savage and must be stroked along its spine to be subdued. The Invisible Book of Invisibility is, true to its name, completely invisible, posing a significant challenge to its readers.

The following is a comprehensive list of textbooks known to be required or recommended for various subjects at Hogwarts, sourced from student book lists and classroom mentions. Ancient Runes

• Spellman's Syllabary

Arithmancy

• Numerology and Grammatica

Care of Magical Creatures

• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
• The Monster Book of Monsters

Charms

• The Standard Book of Spells (Grades 1-7) by Miranda Goshawk

Defence Against the Dark Arts

• The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble
• The complete works of Gilderoy Lockhart, including:
  • Break with a Banshee
  • Gadding with Ghouls
  • Holidays with Hags
  • Travels with Trolls
  • Voyages with Vampires
  • Wanderings with Werewolves
  • Year with the Yeti
• Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard (A Ministry-approved textbook mandated by Dolores Umbridge that contained no practical magic)
• Confronting the Faceless

Divination

• Unfogging the Future by Cassandra Vablatsky
• The Dream Oracle by Inigo Imago

Herbology

• One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore

History of Magic

• A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot

Potions

• Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
• Advanced Potion-Making by Libatius Borage

Transfiguration

• A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
• Intermediate Transfiguration
• A Guide to Advanced Transfiguration

Beyond their function as educational tools, several textbooks play a direct and crucial role in the narrative.

• The Monster Book of Monsters: This aggressive textbook, required by Rubeus Hagrid for his third-year Care of Magical Creatures class, serves as a chaotic and comedic element. It highlights Hagrid's unconventional teaching style and his perception of what is “harmless.”
• Advanced Potion-Making: A second-hand copy of this textbook is central to the plot of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The book is filled with handwritten annotations by its previous owner, the self-proclaimed “Half-Blood Prince,” which allow Harry Potter to excel in Potions. The book also contains the instructions for dangerous spells created by the Prince, most notably the dark curse `Sectumsempra`. The mystery of the Prince's identity drives a significant portion of the story.
• General Knowledge: Hermione Granger frequently relies on her textbooks and other library books to solve critical problems. She successfully brews the Polyjuice Potion using a recipe from Moste Potente Potions (a library book) in her second year and identifies the Basilisk by using a ripped page from another library book. Her studious nature and respect for the knowledge within these books often provide the trio with the information they need to survive.
• Censorship and Control: The mandatory use of Defensive Magical Theory under Dolores Umbridge demonstrates how textbooks can be used as a tool for political control by the Ministry of Magic. By restricting students to a book that preached non-engagement with dark creatures and forbade practical spell-casting, the Ministry attempted to suppress the students' ability to defend themselves.

• J.K. Rowling has written and published real-world versions of several in-universe books, with the proceeds going to charity. These include Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Quidditch Through the Ages (mentioned as a library book in the series), which were published for Comic Relief in 2001. The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a book of wizarding fairy tales central to the seventh novel, was also published for charity.
• The Pottermore website (now Wizarding World) has expanded the lore of the wizarding world's literary scene, providing names for additional textbooks and publishing houses not mentioned in the original seven novels, such as Obscurus Books, the publisher of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. (Pottermore)