‘Harry Potter’ first edition fetches record at auction

LONDON - Reuters

A first edition copy of ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.’ AFP photo

A unique first edition of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” annotated by author J.K. Rowling has sold for a record $227,421 at a London charity auction, Sotheby’s said May 22.

The 1997 book, featuring handwritten notes, 22 original illustrations and a 43-page “second thoughts” commentary by the author, fetched the highest price to date for a printed book by Rowling, Sotheby’s said in a statement.

The auction house said the sale room fell silent on Tuesday as buyers engaged in a bidding war for the coveted book, which eventually went to a unidentified buyer bidding over the telephone.

The full sale featured 51 first editions, all unique one-offs featuring annotations and commentary from authors, as part of the “First Editions, Second Thoughts” sale to benefit charity organization English PEN, which promotes freedom of expression.

Other top sellers included Roald Dahl’s “Matilda” with new illustrations by Quentin Blake for $45,470, Kazuo Ishiguro’s “The Remains of the Day” for $27,278 and Julian Barnes’ “Metroland” for $21,216.
The total sale fetched $665,410.