Books

This Stunning Marauder's Map Illustration Is Coming To Bookstore Near You Very Soon

The release of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Illustrated Edition is just around the corner, which means that the wait for a new collection addition is almost over for Potterheads in the U.S. and U.K. To celebrate the book's impending release, Bloomsbury and Scholastic have posted a fully animated version of Jim Kay's Marauder's Map illustration to Instagram, and it looks amazing, like all of the artist's work. Be forewarned, however: Jim Kay's Marauder's Map illustration will make you want to sneak into Hogsmeade, even if you don't have mischief to manage.

Since 2015, Harry Potter publishers Bloomsbury and Scholastic have released one Illustrated Edition book each year. These are oversized hardcovers full of beautiful illustrations from Kay, who "buil[t] a replica model of Hogwarts castle out of cardboard and plasticine" in order to get his artworks just right, according to Pottermore. We're up to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Illustrated Edition now — which means that those new Harry Potter books are going to get frickin' gigantic next year — and it may just be the best of the Harry Potter Illustrated Editions yet. Potterheads will have to wait until Oct. 3 to see if that's true, but you only have to look at Jim Kay's Marauder's Map illustration below to know that it's going to be a fantastic addition to your bookshelf.

Isn't it gorgeous? I know I'm gushing here, but I cannot get over just how beautiful these Hogwarts maps are. An added image in Bloomsbury's Instagram post shows that Jim Kay's Marauder's Map illustration actually spreads across whole pages of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Illustrated Edition, which means there will be plenty of magical map to feast your eyes upon when the book comes out.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Illustrated Edition by J.K. Rowling, Illustrated by Jim Kay, $24, Amazon

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Illustrated Edition isn't the only J.K. Rowling book to get an artbook version this year. An illustrated edition of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is currently slated to hit stores on Nov. 7. Olivia Lomenech Gill illustrated the new Fantastic Beasts book, and 10 percent of the proceeds from its sales will go to benefit Comic Relief and Lumos: two charities that support children by combating poverty and working to keep families together. So don't worry about tearing too quickly through the new Prisoner of Azkaban, because you'll have Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them to enjoy a month later.

See all of Jim Kay's Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban illustrations when the new edition sneaks into your favorite bookstore on Oct. 3.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Illustrated Edition by J.K. Rowling, Illustrated by Jim Kay, $24, Amazon