Fine Books & Manuscripts, Including Americana

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. London: Bloomsbury, 1997 8vo. “10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1” on publisher’s imprint page and “1 wand” repeated on p. 53; leaves slightly toned, as often. Original publisher’s pictorial paper wrappers by Thomas Taylor, lower cover has misspelt “Philospher’s”; minor creasing and slight delamination at corners. First edition, paperback issue of Rowling’s charming first novel. On 26 June 1997, Bloomsbury ordered 500 hardback first editions of Philosopher’s Stone, with 300 copies sent directly to libraries. In addition, the publisher ordered a simultaneous first issue of 5,150 paperback copies, including the present lot. Harry, Ron, and Hermione’s adventures at Hogwarts bewitched audiences upon the novel’s first release over 28 years ago, and the wizarding world’s popularity has certainly continued to grow to this day. The spellbinding initial installment in the Harry Potter series has since sold over 120 million copies, making it one of the best selling books of all time. REFERENCES Errington, Rowling A1(aa)

View 1 of Lot 1064: Rowling, J.K. | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, first edition, paperback issue

rowling, j.k. | harry potter and the philosopher's stone, first edition, paperback issue

The English Proof of <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Harry%20Potter&amp;tab=objects&amp;sortBy=bsp_dotcom_prod_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Harry Potter</a> and the Prisoner of Azkaban in green wrappers, printed by Bloomsbury on wove paper in 1999.<ul><li>J.K. Rowling (English).</li><li>London: Bloomsbury,</li><li>In green wrappers.</li></ul> There were two issues of a proof for the third Harry Potter book. The state here, in green wrappers, is closer to the published version. Errington notes “an unconfirmed print-run of 250 copies is generally accepted. Bloomsbury, however, provides a figure of 150 copies” (pp. 470-1).

Proof of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

A complete set of <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a>, first printings of the <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Harry%20Potter&amp;tab=objects&amp;sortBy=bsp_dotcom_prod_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Harry Potter</a> series.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 7 volumes.</li><li>J.K. Rowling (English).</li><li>London: Bloomsbury, 1997-2007.</li><li>Octavos.</li><li>Softcover.</li><li>Pictorial card wrappers.</li></ul> A complete set of first edition, first printing paperback novels, variously dated, including the true 1997 first edition, first issue of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone with all relevant issue points. The paperback First of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was printed on the very same day as the hardcover First Edition (of which only 500 copies were printed) and neither has bibliographical priority. The Harry Potter series has had a profound cultural impact, shaping a generation’s imagination and fostering a global fan community. It popularized the fantasy genre, leading to a surge in young adult literature. The books’ themes of friendship, bravery, and the fight against prejudice resonated widely, influencing social discussions. The series also spawned a massive franchise, including films, merchandise, theme parks, and fan events, contributing to popular culture. Harry Potter’s world became a cultural touchstone, inspiring fan fiction, academic studies, and even influencing educational initiatives, making it a lasting symbol of modern literature and entertainment.

First Editions of the Harry Potter Series

The proof-reader's personal copy of the <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a> of <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=harry%20potter&amp;tab=objects&amp;sortBy=bsp_dotcom_prod_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Harry Potter</a> and the Philosopher's Stone.<ul><li>J.K. Rowling (English).</li><li>London: Bloomsbury, 1997.</li><li>Octavo.</li><li>Softcover.</li><li>223 pages.</li><li>Pictorial card wraps by Thomas Taylor with Harry and the Hogwarts Express to upper cover and wizard to lower.</li></ul> The first edition paperback of the first book in the phenomenally popular Harry Potter series. Both the hardcover and paperback of the first edition were printed on the same day, with neither having bibliographical priority. All of the first issue points are present with the complete number sequence of 10 down to 1, ‘1 wand’ repeated twice on the equipment list on p. 53 and and the misprint “Philospher’s” on the lower cover. This, Pippa Le Quesne’s personal copy – Editorial Assistant at Bloomsbury during the period of publishing the first two instalments of the Harry Potter serie (1996 to 1998). As Pippa explains, “One of my jobs was to proof-read both type-set books and their covers. Although I had been on a proof-reading course, this was my first job in publishing and my eye clearly wasn’t very sharp as it was me that made the infamous errors in the school list (a wand listed twice) within the text and the errors on the back cover of the Philospher’s Stone. I met Jo Rowling when she came down from Scotland to see my boss (Sarah Odedina) and her editor (Emma Matthewson). She brought with her her daughter Jess, who I played with whilst she was busy talking to them. She signed another copy of the paperback first edition of the Philosopher’s Stone for me, with the inscription 'To Pippa, thanks for all of your help with me and my commas, love Jo. Sadly, I had to sell that in 2003 to pay my electricity bill (famously starter publishing salaries do not match the cost of living in London), but I do like the thought that it is out there somewhere in the world and someone is wondering who Pippa is! Another of my jobs was to clear the manuscript cupboard where we kept the original manuscripts until a book had been published, then they would be thrown away to make way for the next lot of commissioned manuscripts waiting to be edited/printed. So, another claim to fame (or biggest regret) is that I will have thrown into the bin various drafts of the first and second Harry Potter books, having no idea of their worth or interest in years to come. Jo Rowling worked on a typewriter rather than a computer initially (and yes, she really did hand write the first book in a cafe in Edinburgh). When she had finished the Chamber of Secrets she typed it up, packaged it up and sent it in the post to Bloomsbury. She did not even take a photocopy (because of the expense) but trusted Royal Mail entirely (bearing in mind this was before the first Harry Potter book had exploded) She phoned to say she had sent it, so we were expecting it within a couple of days. For some reason it took five or six days to arrive and we (including Jo) assumed it had got lost in the post! Huge relief all round when it arrived at Bloomsbury." An exceptional association copy of the first Harry Potter story – the first edition, first printing, famous for the two typographic errors and owned by the editorial assistant who missed them

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

<a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Harry%20Potter&amp;tab=objects&amp;sortBy=bsp_dotcom_prod_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Harry Potter</a> Series, Complete Deluxe <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book?Book%20Subject=Sets" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Set</a>, with supplementary works.&nbsp;<ul><li>Sold as a set of 10 volumes.</li><li>J.K Rowling (English).</li><li>The Philosopher’s Stone; The Chamber of Secrets; The Prisoner of Azkaban; The Goblet of Fire; The Order of The Phoenix; The Half-Blood Prince; The Deathly Hallows; Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them; Quidditch Through the Ages; and The Tales of Beedle the Bard.</li><li>London: Bloomsbury, 1999-2008.</li><li>Octavo.</li><li>First impressions thus, with the three supplemental works.</li><li>Original uniform harlequin cloth (7 volumes), with gilt decoration, illustrations to upper covers, and all edges gilt (some in shrink-wrap).</li><li>Additional volumes (3 volumes) in publisher’s illustrated covers.</li></ul> The deluxe issue is a larger format, in decorative cloth binding. Harry Potter's award-winning wizarding adventures have had an unrivalled impact in popular culture today; indeed, some experts have referred to adults between the ages of roughly 20-30 years old as 'the Harry Potter generation', who are seen to hold markedly different values to their parents. Harry Potter is a series of many genres, including fantasy, bildungsroman, and the British school story (which includes elements of mystery, thriller, adventure, and romance). According to Rowling, the main theme of the books is death – although prejudice, corruption, and madness can be seen as dominant motifs.

Harry Potter Series

The <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a>, first impression, hardback issue of the first <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Harry+Potter&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Harry Potter</a> book; the rarest and most desirable format of the series by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=J.K.+Rowling&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">J.K. Rowling</a>.<ul><li>J.K. Rowling (English).</li><li>Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.</li><li>London: Bloomsbury, 1997.</li><li>Octavo.</li><li>Original matt laminated printed paper boards, spine and front cover lettered in white, yellow, dark green and black, without dust jacket, as issued, housed in a red quarter morocco solander box by the Chelsea Bindery.&nbsp;</li></ul> All the required points of the first printing are present: Bloomsbury imprint, 10-down-to-1 number line, no space between “Thomas” and “Taylor” on p. 4, the list of equipment on p. 53 with “1 wand” appearing twice, and the misprint “Philospher’s” on the rear cover. Both paperback and hardback issues of the first impression were published on 26 June 1997. Only 500 copies of the first printing of Philosopher’s Stone were issued in hardback, of which it is thought around 300 were sold to libraries and schools. The publisher has stated “I think the assumption in 1997 would have been that you would sell 500 hardcovers of any good book to public libraries so that edition would be aimed at them. The general edition for the market would be a paperback” (Errington, p. 4). Identifying libraries as the intended buyers of this issue explains the lack of a dust jacket (Errington states a jacket “was simply not required by libraries”). The small number of copies not accessioned by libraries explains the scarcity of this issue, and why copies in collectible condition are rare. This copy, bearing a price sticker from W. H. Smith on the rear cover, identifies it as one of a small number sold on the high street.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | First Edition, First Impression

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a>, first printing of <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Harry%20Potter&amp;tab=objects&amp;sortBy=bsp_dotcom_prod_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Harry Potter</a> and the Deathly Hallows, <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book?locale=en&amp;Book%20Type=Signed%2520and%2520Inscribed" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">signed</a> by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=J.K.%20Rowling&amp;tab=objects&amp;sortBy=bsp_dotcom_prod_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">J.K. Rowling</a>.<ul><li>J.K. Rowling (English).</li><li>London: Bloomsbury, 2007.</li><li>Signed and inscribed by the author on the title page in blue ink.</li></ul>

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Signed First Edition

Complete deluxe editions of the Harry Potter series.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 7 volumes.</li><li>J.K. Rowling (English, b. 1965).</li><li>Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.</li><li>London, UK: Bloomsbury, 1999-2007.</li><li>Octavo.</li><li>Volume 1 has a light red cloth spine with gilt lettering.</li><li>Volume 2 has a Carolina blue cloth spine with gilt lettering.</li><li>Volume 3 has an emerald cloth spine with gilt lettering.</li><li>Volume 4 has an indigo cloth spine with gilt lettering.</li><li>Volume 5 has an auburn cloth spine with gilt lettering.</li><li>Volume 6 has a blue cloth spine with gilt lettering.</li><li>Volume 7 has a black spine with gilt lettering.</li><li>Volumes 1-5 are in publisher's indigo slipcase which lists the titles of each volume on the rear board in gilt lettering, has a gilt depiction of Hogwarts Express on both side boards, gilt copies of J.K. Rowling's signature on both side boards and rear boards, text blocks of all volumes have gilt edges, volume 1 has a blue silk bookmark ribbon attached to the spine head, volume 2 has a green silk bookmark ribbon attached to spine, volume 3 has a yellow bookmark ribbon attached to the spine head, volume 4 has a ruby-red silk bookmark ribbon attached to the spine head, volume 5 has a golden silk bookmark ribbon attached to the spine head, volume 6 has an evergreen silk bookmark ribbon attached to the spine head and volume 7 has a Byzantine purple silk bookmark ribbon attached to the spine head.</li></ul>

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a>, first printing of <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Harry%20Potter%20and%20the%20Prisoner%20of%20Azkaban&amp;tab=objects&amp;sortBy=bsp_dotcom_prod_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban</a>, <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book?locale=en&amp;Book%20Type=Signed%2520and%2520Inscribed" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">signed</a> by the dust-wrapper artist, <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Cliff%20Wright&amp;tab=objects&amp;sortBy=bsp_dotcom_prod_en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Cliff Wright</a>.<ul><li>J.K. Rowling (English).</li><li>Dust wrapper by Cliff Wright.</li><li>London: Bloomsbury, 1999.</li><li>Signed by the dust wrapper artist Cliff Wright to the verso of the half title page.&nbsp;</li><li>The second issue, amended on the copyright page to 'J.K Rowling'. </li><li>Now housed in a custom-made solander box.</li></ul>

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban First Edition Signed by the Dust Jacket Artist

Signed first printings of the deluxe editions of the <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book?locale=en&amp;creators=J.K.%2520Rowling" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">J.K. Rowling's</a> Harry Potter series, all dedicated to the same family, with three additionally signed "Jo."<ul><li>Sold as a set of 7 volumes.</li><li>J.K. Rowling (English).</li><li>London:&nbsp;Bloomsbury,&nbsp;1999-2007.</li><li>Every volume is inscribed to the same recipients; Philosopher's Stone, Half-Blood Prince and Order of the Phoenix signed both "JK Rowling" and "Jo."</li><li>Each volume bound in original cloth of various colors with tipped-in illustration, gilt-lettered front boards and spines, original silk ribbon markers.</li><li>Housed in custom red cloth slipcase.</li></ul> These deluxe editions, slightly larger in format and produced with higher quality materials, were one way Bloomsbury responded to reader demand, especially in the gift market. Unfortunately, the Harry Potter market has been so hot in recent years that her signature is now notorious for its proliferation of forgeries, with even Rowling commenting on the problem (Deadline, "Rowling reveals many books 'signed' by her are fakes"). In such a market, a set like this—inscribed to a single family, friends of the author who called her "Jo," is exceptional.

Complete Signed Harry Potter Series (Signed First Printings of the Deluxe Edition)

A <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/luxury/books-&amp;-manuscripts/book/first-edition?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first edition</a>, first printing of <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=harry%20potter&amp;tab=objects" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Harry Potter</a> and the Prisoner of Azkaban.<ul><li>J.K. Rowling (English).</li><li>London: Bloomsbury, 1999.</li><li>One of fourteen working copies, with Clays LTD., ink stamp dated 05 May 1999 (two months before the original date on 8th July 1999) to the rear pastedown, and the Clays LTD. adhesive ‘Standard EDTN’ sticker.</li><li>This copy correctly reads ‘Joanne Rowling’ on the copyright page, complete with the one to ten number line.</li><li>The dust wrapper, illustrated by Cliff Wright, has not been clipped showing the correct £10.99 price.</li></ul>

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