The cover of “The Lexicon” speaks volumes about the lengths to which a West Michigan author and his Muskegon publisher have gone to get the comprehensive guide of the Harry Potter book series into the hands of readers. The subject of a lengthy, groundbreaking legal battle with Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, the soon-to-be-published lexicon has a cover that appears to be one big nod to copyright.
“An Unauthorized Guide to Harry Potter Fiction and Related Materials” appears boldly below “The Lexicon” title and above author Steve Vander Ark’s name. A full paragraph on the otherwise sparse cover further details the fact that neither Rowling nor a host of others with trademarks and other interests in the Harry Potter series had any part in the book.
Publisher Roger Rapaport, author Steve Vander Ark and their team of lawyers — including Craig Monette of Muskegon — are confident this version of The Lexicon will pass legal muster. (The cover was negotiated by both sides to avoid a separate planned trademark lawsuit.) The book is set to be released on Jan. 12 in the United States and England. M Live, Publishers Weekly and the AP both tell the story of ‘the book that must be published’.
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