Christie’s to offer rare signed first edition Harry Potter in private sale
Offers to start from £200,000 for book complete with errors as one of 500 hardback copies from initial run in 1997
31 May 2022 - 18:08 Marie-Louise Gumuchian
Author JK Rowling. Picture: GETTY IMAGES
A first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, with some errors and signed by author JK Rowling, is going up for a private sale at Christie’s in London. The auction house is inviting offers starting from £200,000.
The publication is one of 500 hardback copies of the book that were printed in an initial run in 1997. Three hundred of those were sent to libraries.
The one being sold by Christie’s, as part of its coming “The Art of Literature: Loan and Selling Exhibition”, is among the other 200.
“There were a few things that they seemed to get wrong in the book production,” said Mark Wiltshire, a specialist in printed books and co-curator of the exhibition.
“On the back cover, for instance, philosophers, which of course is quite a key word ... is misspelt ‘philosphers’, that second ‘o’ is missing. Also on page 53, in the list of items which pupils are asked to take to Hogwarts with them, ‘one wand’ is repeated twice.”
While Rowling was unknown at the time, the book about the magical world of witches and wizards went on to become a huge hit around the world, spawning a whole series and a huge film franchise.
“In many ways, this book is the physical manifestation of a magic memory for so many people. That’s what makes it so desirable,” Wiltshire said.
Christie’s “Art of Literature” event is open to the public from June 7-15.
Christie’s to offer rare signed first edition Harry Potter in private sale
Offers to start from £200,000 for book complete with errors as one of 500 hardback copies from initial run in 1997
A first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, with some errors and signed by author JK Rowling, is going up for a private sale at Christie’s in London. The auction house is inviting offers starting from £200,000.
The publication is one of 500 hardback copies of the book that were printed in an initial run in 1997. Three hundred of those were sent to libraries.
The one being sold by Christie’s, as part of its coming “The Art of Literature: Loan and Selling Exhibition”, is among the other 200.
“There were a few things that they seemed to get wrong in the book production,” said Mark Wiltshire, a specialist in printed books and co-curator of the exhibition.
“On the back cover, for instance, philosophers, which of course is quite a key word ... is misspelt ‘philosphers’, that second ‘o’ is missing. Also on page 53, in the list of items which pupils are asked to take to Hogwarts with them, ‘one wand’ is repeated twice.”
While Rowling was unknown at the time, the book about the magical world of witches and wizards went on to become a huge hit around the world, spawning a whole series and a huge film franchise.
“In many ways, this book is the physical manifestation of a magic memory for so many people. That’s what makes it so desirable,” Wiltshire said.
Christie’s “Art of Literature” event is open to the public from June 7-15.
Reuters
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