Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a 2001 book written by British author J. K. Rowling about the magical creatures in the Harry Potter universe. It purports to be Harry Potter's copy of the textbook of the same name mentioned in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, the first novel of the Harry Potter series.

In a 2001 interview with publisher Scholastic, Rowling stated that she chose the subject of magical creatures because it was a fun topic for which she had already developed a lot of information in earlier books. Rowling's name does not appear on the cover of the book, the work being credited under the pseudonym "Newt Scamander".

The book benefits the charity Comic Relief. Over 80% of the cover price of each book sold goes directly to poor children in various places around the world. According to Comic Relief, sales from this book and its companion Quidditch Through the Ages have raised over £17 million.

On September 12, 2013, Warner Bros and Rowling announced they will be producing a new film series, set in the magical world of Harry Potter, inspired by the book "Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them". Rowling herself will be the screenwriter. She came up with a plan for a movie after Warner Bros suggested the idea. The story will feature Newt Scamander as a main character and will not be a sequel or a prequel to the Potter adventures, but will kick off in New York, 70 years before Harry’s story starts.

Professor Newton Artemis Fido "Newt" Scamander, Order of Merlin, Second Class, (1897—1991/1992), was a famed Magizoologist and author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Scamander developed an interest in magical creatures early in life, influenced by his mother's breeding of hippogriffs. After attending, and graduating from, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scamander joined the Ministry of Magic. After spending two years in the Office for House-Elf Relocation, Scamander joined the Beast Division and put his knowledge of magical beasts to good use. In 1918, Scamander was commissioned by Augustus Worme of Obscurus Books to write Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The book became a best seller, making Scamander a respected expert in the field of Magizoology, which also led to an appointment as Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In his personal life, Scamander married a woman named Porpentina, and fathered at least one child. By the beginning of the 1990s, Scamander was retired and living in Dorset. Professor Scamander would eventually die between 31 July, 1991 and 18 December, 1992.