The Standard Book of Spells

• Type: Textbook, Educational Material
• Owners: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, countless witches and wizards, including Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger.
• Maker: Miranda Goshawk (Author), Little Red Books (Publisher) (Pottermore).

• The Standard Book of Spells* is a series of textbooks used for Charms instruction at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The series consists of at least seven volumes, designated by “Grade” to correspond with a student's year of study (e.g., The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 for first-years).

While the novels do not provide a detailed physical description, the books are standard required course material purchased by students from Flourish and Blotts in Diagon Alley. Each volume contains detailed instructions on a variety of fundamental Charms, covering the necessary wand movements, incantations, and the resulting magical effects.

As an educational text, the primary function of *The Standard Book of Spells* is to instruct young witches and wizards in the art of Charms. It is the core curriculum for the Charms class taught by Professor Filius Flitwick. Each book is structured to build upon the knowledge of the previous year, introducing progressively more complex and powerful spells. The content serves as the basis for both theoretical study and practical spell-casting practice at Hogwarts. Students are expected to study these books to learn and master the spells required for their coursework and examinations, including the Ordinary Wizarding Level (O.W.L.) and Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Test (N.E.W.T.) exams.

• The Standard Book of Spells* was authored by the celebrated Charms expert Miranda Goshawk (b. 1921). Goshawk was a notable spell-inventor and head of the Wizengamot's Charm Advisory Panel. Her work became the definitive and long-standing textbook series for Charms education at Hogwarts, having been in use for many decades by the time Harry Potter began his schooling.

The books are a constant and fundamental part of the students' lives at Hogwarts and feature in several key moments throughout the series.

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone: The Grade 1 volume is where Hermione Granger first demonstrates her knowledge by helping Ron Weasley with the Levitation Charm, Wingardium Leviosa. She corrects his pronunciation and wand movement, and this knowledge later proves critical when she uses the spell to knock out a mountain Troll and save their lives.
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: The Summoning Charm (Accio), a fourth-year spell, would have been featured in The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 4. Harry Potter dedicates himself to mastering this spell from his textbook in preparation for the first task of the Triwizard Tournament, using it to summon his Firebolt and face the Hungarian Horntail.
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: The Grade 5 volume becomes a point of contention. Under the oppressive regime of Dolores Umbridge, students are forbidden from practicing the spells within their textbooks, as her curriculum demands a theory-only approach to Defence Against the Dark Arts. This suppression of practical magic, normally learned from books like this, directly leads to the formation of Dumbledore's Army, where Harry teaches his classmates practical defensive spells.
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: While much of Harry's focus is on the annotated Advanced Potion-Making textbook, he still uses spells that would be found in The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 6, such as Aguamenti, the Water-Making Spell.

• For the PlayStation 3 Wonderbook peripheral, a companion book titled Book of Spells was released. Authored by J.K. Rowling, it expands on the world of The Standard Book of Spells, providing background on Miranda Goshawk and offering an interactive experience with the spells mentioned in her books. (video game)
• The films created unique cover designs for the various grades of the textbook used as props. (film)