A rare first edition copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone has sold at auction for more than £8,000, nearly 27 years after its owner, Jane Thompson-Webb, purchased it for £3.50 with a staff discount. Thompson-Webb, now 52, bought the book from Ottakar’s Bookshop in Birmingham in 1997 for £4.99, minus a 30% discount as an employee. She rediscovered the book during a recent clear-out after it had sat on a bookshelf for almost three decades.
The auction, held by Richard Winterton Auctioneers in Lichfield, Staffordshire, saw fierce bidding from over 30 participants both online and via telephone, with interest spanning from the UK to the United States. Ultimately, a UK-based telephone bidder secured the paperback for £6,600, with fees bringing the total to over £8,000.
Richard Winterton, the auctioneer overseeing the sale, expressed his excitement over the outcome. “This is a fantastic result and one of the highest prices achieved at auction, which reflects the wonderful condition this copy is in,” Winterton said. He highlighted the high level of interest in the run-up to the auction, adding, “We were joined online by more than 30 bidders from America and the UK, along with two telephone bids and people watching in the saleroom.”
Jane Thompson-Webb, now a conservation manager at Birmingham Museums Trust, recalled the excitement around the first book’s release in 1997. “When the first Harry Potter was released, we reviewed it for an in-house newsletter. I was 27 at the time and bought it because I wanted to read it – I’ve always read children’s stories,” she shared. Reflecting on the book’s impact, she added, “I remember people coming to buy the book before Christmas. But what’s really vivid is how many parents with young boys came in after Christmas, with the boys asking when the next book was coming out because they wanted to read the next story. That book got boys reading.”
The auctioned book is distinguished by several unique features, including a misspelled “Philospher’s” on the back cover and the author being credited as “Joanne Rowling” instead of “J.K. Rowling.” Richard Winterton provided some additional details for anyone looking to identify a first edition of the book. “I go straight to the back cover, where there should be a letter ‘o’ missing from the word ‘philosopher’s.’ It reads ‘Acclaim for Harry Potter and the Philospher’s Stone,’” he explained.
Winterton also pointed out other telltale signs of a first edition, including the original reference to “Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft” rather than the later version, “Witchcraft and Wizardry.” He emphasized the importance of the print line on the copyright page, which should read “10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1,” and the absence of a gap between “Taylor” and “1997” in the copyright information for the cover illustration. Additionally, early printings credit text copyright to Joanne Rowling, and a notable quirk can be found on page 53, where the school supplies list includes “1 wand” twice.
