Literary Lineage

The lineage of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

33 works across 28 centuries, back to Iliad and Odyssey.

  1. 1906

    The Story of the Amulet

    E. Nesbit

    Edwardian. England. written in English.

    Third book about five London children and the wish-granting Psammead, who travel through time to ancient Egypt, Babylon and Atlantis in search of the missing half of a magic amulet.

    What it handed down

    To Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997)

    Stylistic influence, probable.

    Rowling has said she identifies with E. Nesbit more than with any other writer. The Psammead books gave her a model of magic intruding on an ordinary household, told with brisk comic narration that plays the children's practicality against wonder.

    To The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950)

    Thematic kinship, probable.

    In Surprised by Joy Lewis singled out Nesbit's trilogy, especially The Amulet, as a childhood favourite that taught him about the past. Narnia opens, as Nesbit's books do, with ordinary siblings in a London-era household who stumble into magic.

    Where it came from

    Find “The Story of the Amulet” on Amazon

Share this lineage

Preview card: the tree of influence behind Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone