Last month we shared a new blurb on the FAQ portion of J.K. Rowling’s website where she stated she “started work” on the Harry Potter Encyclopedia “now.”

Within the past couple of days she updated that question with less exciting news.

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First, backstory. This past summer when launching Pottermore, Rowling was asked if there will ever be a printed encyclopedia, to which she replied, “Will there ever be a book, I don’t know at the moment.”

Then last month her revamped website included the following info about the encyclopedia:

For a long time I have been promising an encyclopaedia of Harry’s world, and I have started work on this now – some of it forms the new content in Pottermore. It is likely to be a time-consuming job, but when finished I shall donate all royalties to charity.

That brings us to today, where the above text has been removed and replaced with the following:

What about the Harry Potter Encyclopaedia? Updated May 2012

I have been enjoying sharing information about Harry’s world on Pottermore for free, and don’t have any firm plans to publish it in book form.

The timing of this is interesting, as today Bloomsbury said that “a new Rowling three-book box set tied into the Potter series” is coming in the next year.

Is Rowling being a troll? Is Bloomsbury lying? We can’t handle all of this uncertainty! Thanks to ThePotterHead.