Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

by Rowling, J.K

$600,000 · Offered by Biblio

First edition · Signed

London: Bloomsbury, 1997. First edition, first printing of the rarest book in the Harry Potter series, a cornerstone of young adult literature, and one of the best-selling books of all time. First printing with "First published in Great Britain in 1997", the full number line "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1", "Joanne Rowling" for "J.K. Rowling", and "Thomas Taylor1997" (lacking the space) on the copyright page and "1 wand" listed twice (as the first item and last item) on the "Other Equipment" list on page 53. Octavo, original laminated pictorial boards, without a dust jacket as issued. Presentation copy, inscribed by the J.K. Rowling on the dedication page and additionally signed with a large drawing by Thomas Taylor on the dedication page and additionally with a full page drawing of the cover illustration to the front free endpaper. At the time of the book’s publication in 1997, illustrator Thomas Taylor had just graduated from art school and was working at Heffers Children’s Bookshop in Cambridge. At Heffers, Taylor educated himself on the children’s book market and its major publishers and decided to submit a portfolio of his illustrations to the offices of Bloomsbury Publishing, including several drawings of dragons and wizards. Taylor heard back from Bloomsbury’s editor, Barry Cunningham (who had recently decided to take a chance on publishing Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone after it had been rejected by twelve other publishers) almost immediately. Cunningham phoned him a

  • Publisher: Bloomsbury
  • Year: 1997
  • Edition: First Edition
  • Printing: first
  • Binding: hardcover

Found via Rare Books Intel, a search across rare-book dealers, auction houses and marketplaces worldwide.