A spring cleaning was in order. So, like many readers, Jane Thompson-Webb, ex-employee at the bookstore Ottakar from Birmingham, tackles his personal library with a single goal: to sort. This is how she discovered a first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stoneby JK Rowling, published by Bloomsbury.
An unforgettable literary craze
A big fan, the fifty-year-old carefully kept a copy of each volume on her shelves for 30 years. For the newspaper The Sunshe talks about her experience as a bookseller faced with the enthusiasm generated by the first publication: “What stood out to me was the number of parents who came back with their boys after the holidays, asking when the next book would come out. They couldn't wait to find out what happened next.. »
Jane Thompson-Webb, who loved reading children's stories, picked up a copy to form her own opinion: “ I bought this for myself while working at Ottakar . At the time, we even wrote a review for an internal newsletter “, she says. In 1997, the bookstore offered its employees a 30% discount, allowing them to purchase the book for just £3.50 (€4.23), compared to an original price of £4.99 (€6.03). .
« This copy, which remained quietly on my shelf for more than 20 years, has always had a special place “, she emphasizes.
How to identify a first edition?
Three decades later, Richard Winterton, the auctioneer in charge of the valuation, confirmed that it was a copy from the very first printing. Several details allowed him to identify it: the wordPhilosopher’sis misspelled in Philospher’s at the back of the book, and the author credited under her full name, Joanne Rowling, rather than the now-famous pseudonym JK Rowling. Another notable feature: on page 53, the list of school supplies addressed to Harry mentions twice1 magic wandat the beginning and at the end.
For those wondering if they too own a first edition, Richard Winterton recommends looking at several things: “Look at the back of the book. The wordphilosopher ’ s must be written without the letter “ o ”, becoming Philospher’s. The mention of Hogwarts school is also reversed: we speak ofHogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraftinstead of Witchcraft and Wizardry. »
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Always forThe Sun he continues: “Make sure the publisher is Bloomsbury and the last date in the imprint is 1997. The print run number on the copyright page should read 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1, and in the attribution of the cover to Thomas Taylor 1997, no space separates the name of the illustrator and the year. Like all first printings, the copyright of the text also mentions Joanne Rowling.»
£8,000, far from the record
According to him, the estimate for this example was between £3,000 and £3,500, although he hoped the price would rise to £5,000, “as its condition is remarkable», he notes. “We anticipate strong interest in the sale», Confided the latter to the newspaper before the event, which was held on September 9 in Lichfield, in Staffordshire.
And the enthusiasm was there. More than 30 online bidders, mainly from the United Kingdom and the United States, competed, joined by two telephone participants and spectators in the room. After an intense bidding battle, the book was finally acquired by a British buyer over the telephone.
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The sale concluded with a final price exceeding £8,000 (£6,600 hammer price, plus costs). “This is an extraordinary result, one of the highest recorded for a sale of this type [au sein de la maison Richard Winterton Auctioneers, NdR]which testifies to the exceptional condition of this copy», welcomed Richard Winterton.
In December 2021, a first edition ofHarry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stoneby JK Rowling (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stonein French, translated by Jean-François Ménard) was sold at a record price of $471,000, or approximately €420,000. This amount, never before equaled, was achieved under the aegis of the American auction house Heritage Auctions, based in Texas.
Image credits: ActuaLitté, CC BY SA 2.0
By Louella Boulland
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