London, 2nd June (BUS): First edition of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”, with some errors and signed by author J.K. Rowling, it will be put up for private sale at Christie’s in London, with the auction house inviting bids starting at 200,000 pounds ($250,000).
The publication is one of 500 hard copies of the book that were printed in an initial edition in 1997. Three hundred were sent to bookstores.
The piece that Christie’s is selling, as part of “The Art of Literature: Selling and Lending Exhibition,” is among 200 others.
According to Reuters, “There were a few things they seemed to get wrong in producing the book,” said Mark Wiltshire, a print specialist and co-curator of the Art of Literature exhibition.
On the back cover, for example, philosophers, which is of course a key word, misspelled the word ‘philosopher,’ and that second ‘o’ is missing. Also on page 53, in the list of items the disciples have asked to take with them To Hogwarts, “one wand” is repeated twice.
While Rowling was little known at the time, the book on the magical world of witches and wizards was a huge success worldwide, spawning an entire series and a huge movie franchise.
“In many ways, this book is the physical manifestation of a magical memory for many people and that is what makes it so desirable,” Wiltshire said.
Christie’s Art of Literature event is open to the public June 7-15.
HF