Saylor is art director for the U.S. editions of the Harry Potter books, published by an imprint of Scholastic Press. He used to have a perfectly normal working life. Printers worked 24 hours a day to churn out millions of copies of the books, which have been embraced by children but also are popular among adults. Others are wild about Harry in a less sanguine way. More attempts were made to remove or restrict the Potter books at libraries and schools than any other books in the nation during 1999, according to a database compiled by the American Library Association.
Opponents often cite the series' emphasis on wizardry and sorcery.
Appallingly mistreated by his aunt and uncle, who raise him after his parents' deaths, Potter accomplishes heroic deeds while attending Hogwarts, an English boarding school, with other aspiring wizards and witches. The task of Saylor, vice president and creative director of the book group at Scholastic Press, was to present the story in a format befitting the imaginative, mystical plot. When I met her after the first one came out, she said it looked exactly as she had hoped, giving the impression of a book of spells. The editions Saylor worked on contain chapter-opening drawings, which are not a part of the British versions. Saylor also accentuated page numbers and chapter folios with tiny stars.