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Bosnian is one of the three official languages spoken in Bosnia and Herzegovina, alongside Croatian and Serbian. It belongs to the South Slavic language group and is primarily spoken by Bosniaks, the country's largest ethnic group. The language is very similar to Croatian and Serbian, with differences in vocabulary, pronunciation, and some grammar, mainly due to historical, cultural, and religious influences. Bosnian uses both the Latin and Cyrillic alphabets, although Latin is more commonly used in daily life.

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The language has a rich literary tradition, influenced by both Islamic and European cultures, reflecting Bosnia's diverse history. Modern Bosnian vocabulary incorporates many Turkish, Arabic, and Persian loanwords, a result of the centuries-long Ottoman rule. In addition, there is a strong regional variation in dialects, which are typically classified into three main groups: Western, Eastern, and the central dialects. Despite its similarities with Croatian and Serbian, Bosnian has retained a distinct identity, emphasizing its cultural and linguistic heritage.

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To hear the 1st paragraph of the 1st Bosnian book, Click Here

The Bosnian translations have a bit of an interesting publishing history. Books 1 - 2 were published in 2011, book 3 in 2015, book 4 in 2016, book 5 in 2020, and books 6 and 7 in 2021. BUT, in 2020 BuyBook produced 2nd editions of books 1 - 3 in the same size and paper/cover quality as that of book 4 (the 1st editions of books 1-3 are stiff, shorter, and fatter than the other books). 

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Importantly, the 1st edition Bosnian Harry Potter books (books 1-3) have become super hard to find; however, you can still get the 2nd edition of books 1-3 as well as the 1st edition of books 4-7 easily from the publisher at this time. Both of these editions were published by BuyBook, and both editions share the same cover art by Aleksandra Nina Knežević as were translated by Mirjana Evtov, so be careful not to confuse the two.​

Harry Potter I Kamen Mudrosti 2011

ISBN: 9789958301063

Bosnian Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Harry Potter i Odaja TajniI, 2011

ISBN: 9789958301056

Bosnian Harry Potter Book 2 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter i Zatvorenik Azkabana, 2015

ISBN: 9789958302442

Bosnian Harry Potter Book 3  Prisoner of Azkaban Harry Potter i zatvorenik Azkabana

As mentioned above, the 1st editions of the 1st three books of the Bosnian translation are becoming quite hard to find, even in Bosnia, so if you're in the market for the 1st edition of any of these three books, make sure know what one looks like and the ISBN to avoid overpaying for 2nd edition. 

Harry Potter I Kamen Mudrosti 2020

ISBN: 9789958304866

2nd Second Edition Bosnian Translation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone rry Potter i kamen mudrosti

Harry Potter i Odaja TajniI, 2020

ISBN: 9789958304897

2nd Second Bosnian Translation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Harry Potter i odaja tajni

The 2nd edition of books 1-3 may be actually revised a bit; also, the publisher added "drugo izdanje" (2nd Edition) to the title page. And while the books have the same cover art, the build and feel of the these books are very different; the 2nd edition books are now the same size and feel of book 4 (so taller and about 1/2 as thick as their 1st edition counterparts). I don't own book 3 (published in 2020 as well) of this edition yet, BUT i will leave the ISBN here for right now - ISBN: 9789958305054. â€‹

Thus far, there is only 1 edition of books 4 - 7. I would love to see more editions come from a country that has given us such wonderful Potter art - I would love to see what more unique art this same or maybe a different illustrator could come up with. Also since all books are only available in softcover, I think even offering a limited edition hardcover box set of 1-7 would be interesting. 

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Alongside buying the books individually, BuyBook also produced a box set set with more unique art from the illustrator. You can buy this box set over on the publisher's website at this time (2024).

Harry Potter i Plameni Pehar, 2016

ISBN: 9789958302879

Bosnian Harry Potter Book 4 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Harry Potter i plameni pehar

Harry Potter i Red Feniksa, 2020

ISBN: 9789958305023

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Harry Potter i Princ Poluplave Krvi, 2021

ISBN: 9789958305559

Harry Potter i Kobne Moći, 2021

ISBN: 9789958305924

The 1st (left) and 2nd (right) editions of the 1st book.

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Thanks, Terrell, for sending pictures of the Bosnian Box Set - she's quite right - the box is beautiful and needs to be shown off!

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