Rare Pre-Publication Copy Of ‘Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone’ To Be Auctioned

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An extremely rare pre-publication copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is on auction

The book, which kickstarted the popular fantasy franchise, is said to be a first-edition hardback copy complete with author J.K. Rowling's personal inscriptions.

The first official edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was initially printed by publishing house Bloomsbury on June 26, 1997, with 500 hardcover and 5,150 paperback copies released. A total of 300 of these hardcover copies were sent to libraries, while the remaining 200 were distributed to bookshops.

A pre-publication copy, one of the earliest printed versions of the story in existence, is extremely rare, let alone one that is in good condition.

The auctioned copy, listed on British brokering company Sotheby's website, was gifted by Rowling to her friend Deirdre on 11 June, 1997

Rowling left a handwritten message on the front page, writing the date and thanking her friends, Deirdre and Gerry, before signing herself off as "You-Know-Who".

The Sotheby's listing states that Deirdre, the present owner of the copy, is a close friend of Rowling's sister Di, with whom she completed nurse training.

Rowling and Deirdre, who first met while Rowling was an undergraduate at the University of Exeter, bonded over first-time parenthood after Rowling moved to Edinburgh to be near Di.

Other pre-publication copies have been gifted to Rowling's family and friends, including one presented to her father and stepmother that was reportedly inscribed with the same date.

Only a small handful of such copies are known to exist, which further boosts their value.

Besides Rowling's message, several errors in the text authenticate this copy as one of the earliest in existence

For example, Rowling is credited as 'Joanne Rowling' instead of her pen name, 'J.K. Rowling', on the credits.

In another typo corrected in later editions, the list of equipment Harry needs to purchase before going to Hogwarts includes an extra "1 wand".

And finally, the back cover of the copy features artwork of a generic wizard, drawn by artist Thomas Taylor, and the word 'Philosopher's' is misspelled as 'Philospher's'.

This pipe-smoking wizard only appears in the earliest published editions of Philosopher's Stone, and he is replaced by an illustration of Professor Albus Dumbledore in later editions after publishers were asked who the wizard on the back cover was.

The starting bid for the copy is 100,000 pounds, or around RM548,000

It is estimated to reach 150,000 pounds (around RM822,000), with the lot closing on Thursday, 11 December.

So, if you want one of the most valuable collectibles for Potterheads worldwide, get ready to Accio some money!