Here's the thing: I don't actually *want* to know the ending of a good book in advance, because the experience of getting there the first time is so wonderful. (I'm not sure what I can compare it to; all the obvious comparisons are too smutty.) But it's also true that I sometimes can't stop myself; in a moment of fatigue I'll read the last chapter, know what's going to happen, and be both glad and sad about it.
In the case of HBP, I had purchased the special edition that had all the illustrations in full-page plates at the back. I made the mistake of flipping through the plates and the captions, and saw -- The White Tomb. Of course it was obvious who the tomb was for. So I had an instant flash of insight that (1) Dumbledore would die; (2) he would be mourned in a large funeral with ceremonial arrows. This told me quite a lot; it told me to expect tragedy.
Anyway, I like knowing a little bit about books I'm going to read, or movies I'm going to watch, for the first time, but I do enjoy the fun of being surprised.
Yes, I see what you're saying about the surprise element. I just find that for me the surprise comes as much or more in the tiny detail than in the big plot, so traditional 'spoilers' don't worry me too much.
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In the case of HBP, I had purchased the special edition that had all the illustrations in full-page plates at the back. I made the mistake of flipping through the plates and the captions, and saw -- The White Tomb. Of course it was obvious who the tomb was for. So I had an instant flash of insight that (1) Dumbledore would die; (2) he would be mourned in a large funeral with ceremonial arrows. This told me quite a lot; it told me to expect tragedy.
Anyway, I like knowing a little bit about books I'm going to read, or movies I'm going to watch, for the first time, but I do enjoy the fun of being surprised.
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