A rare first edition of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” is anticipated to sell for up to £60,000 at an upcoming auction in Edinburgh. This event, set for June 19, highlights the city where J.K. Rowling penned much of the now-iconic series.
This particular copy is one of only 500 first edition hardbacks printed in 1997. Initially, a limited number of copies were produced due to the publisher’s uncertainty about the book’s potential success. Today, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” has sold over 120 million copies, solidifying its place as one of the bestselling books in history.
Cathy Marsden, head of books and manuscripts at Lyon and Turnbull, the auction house hosting the event, remarked, “A first edition of ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’ is an exceptionally rare book to find in any condition, and one in such excellent condition could well be called the jewel in any Harry Potter collector’s crown.” She added, “Given that much of the writing took place in Edinburgh, it’s fitting that this early and important piece of Harry Potter history will be sold in the capital.”
In addition to this coveted first edition, the auction will feature other notable Harry Potter books, including a signed copy of “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,” valued between £4,000 and £6,000, and a copy of “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” valued between £3,000 and £4,000.
The Rare Book, Manuscripts, Maps, and Photographs auction will also include other significant literary works. Highlights include a signed first edition of Ian Fleming’s “Casino Royale,” valued between £30,000 and £50,000. This edition is inscribed to Ion Smeaton Munro, Fleming’s night editor at Kemsley Newspapers, with the note: “To ISM, whose staunch keeping of the night watches freed the author for this extra-mural opus, Ian Fleming, April 1953.”
Another notable item is a complete set of A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh books, each volume signed by both Milne and illustrator E.H. Shepard. This set, which has never been offered for sale before, is valued between £15,000 and £22,000. Among these, “When We Were Very Young,” written during a wet holiday in Wales in 1923, is particularly rare, with only one hundred copies printed on handmade paper and signed by both Milne and Shepard. It is valued between £7,000 and £10,000.
Collectors and fans alike will have the opportunity to bid on these exceptional pieces, each offering a unique glimpse into literary history.