J.K. Rowling fills her books with references to history, myths, legends and literature. "The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter" presents the stories behind the stories. The enriching trip includes many other worlds both real and imaginary, from ancient Egypt and Greece to India and Japan. It includes encounters with wizards like Circe and Merlin, and the real-life alchemists of the Middle Ages. Adding to the experience are writers as varied as William Shakespeare, Gustave Flaubert, Charles Dickens, Ovid, John Donne, J.R.R. Tolkien and Ursula K. Le Guin.