KENNILWORTHY WISP is a renowned Quidditch expert (and, he says, fanatic). He is the author of many Quidditch‑related works, including The Wonder of Wigtown Wanderers, He Flew Like a Madman (a biography of 'Dangerous' Dai Llewellyn) and Beating the Bludgers — A Study of Defensive Strategies in Quidditch.

Kennilworthy Whisp divides his time between his home in Nottinghamshire and 'wherever Wigtown Wanderers are playing this week'. His hobbies include backgammon, vegetarian cookery and collecting vintage broomsticks.

QUIDDITCH THROUGH THE AGES is one of the most popular titles in the Hogwarts school library. Madam Pince, our librarian, tells me that it is 'pawed about, dribbled on and generally maltreated' nearly every day — a high compliment for any book. Anyone who plays or watches Quidditch regularly will relish Mr Whisp's book, as do those of us interested in wider wizarding history. As we have developed the game of Quidditch, so it has developed us; Quidditch unites witches and wizards from all walks of life, bringing us together to share moments of exhilaration, triumph and (for those who support the Chudley Cannons) despair.

It was with some difficulty, I must own, that I persuaded Madam Pince to part with one of her books so that it might be copied for wider consumption. Indeed, when I told her it was to be made available to Muggles, she.was rendered temporarily speechless and neither moved nor blinked for several minutes. When she came to herself she was thoughtful enough to ask whether I had taken leave of my senses. I was pleased to reassure her on that point and went on to explain why I had taken this unprecedented decision.