Harry Potter - The Unofficial Guide to the Collectibles of Our Favorite Wizard
208
Harry Potter - The Unofficial Guide to the Collectibles of Our Favorite Wizard
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Overview
Since 1997 with the publication of the first book, Harry Potter has cast a spell over millions of Muggles around the world—not the least of all bewitched collectors. Harry Potter: The Unofficial Guide to the Collectibles of Our Favorite Wizard conjures rare, extraordinary and magical treasures sprung from the Potter books and movies, and even the imaginations of fans. In its enchantingly visual pages, you'll discover delightful riches including author J.K. Rowling's writing chair that sold at auction for almost $400,000, first-edition books, original art, movie posters, film props, exclusives, limited-edition items, fun fandom pieces, and other wonders to behold.
So with a whisper of "accio" and a flick of your wand, summon forth the fascinating, the fantastical and the fabulous found in Harry Potter: The Unofficial Guide to the Collectibles of Our Favorite Wizard.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780594150572 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Penguin Publishing Group |
| Publication date: | 10/03/2017 |
| Pages: | 208 |
| Sales rank: | 1,077,031 |
| Product dimensions: | 8.10(w) x 7.60(h) x 0.80(d) |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
BOOKS
J.K. Rowling is a serious student of witchcraft, magic, divination, and alchemy.
Finding the real philosopher's stone has been a mission for alchemists for centuries. Grindylows are not friendly mermaids. Heroes are not heroes until they learn of their mysterious past, for heroes must suffer a traumatic event and rely upon supernatural help to succeed on great and dangerous journeys.
It is no wonder that Harry Potter and Voldemort carry a bit of each other inside them. The struggle is real, my friends, and their explosive relationship in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's (or Philosopher's) Stone launched millions of fans into a wonderful world full of mystery, spells, and tortured characters.
Hard to believe it all started with just 500 copies.
The first printing of the first edition of the British version of the initial Harry Potter novel was the result of an extremely small press run on June 26, 1997 by Bloomsbury in England. Rowling's hugely successful novels about a boy wizard scooped up most children's literature awards in the UK and in the U.S. after its publication under the title Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in 1998. It stayed near the top of the New York Times Best Sellers list for most of 1999 and 2000. Like the succeeding novels in the seven-book series, it was turned into a feature film, making stars of its three young main actors and engaging a host of major British actors.
A first edition, first printing of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, 1997, in like-new condition, has surpassed the ranks of first-edition James Bond titles and first-edition copies of Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien in terms of collector worth. The first edition shows a picture of a wizard against a white background on the spine and the same unnamed wizard on the back cover, smoking a long pipe and holding what appears to be a leather-covered book with a pentagram on the cover. The art is by Thomas Taylor. These crucial details would be changed in future editions. The cover price is $10.99. Copies now sell in excess of $40,000, and the copy shown here, offered in incredible condition in 2013, sold for a commanding $43,750.
Courtesy of Bonhams, bonhams.com
Not surprisingly, it's easy to distinguish first editions (published as Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone) from later printings. First issue details are always present on the copyright page:
• Look for the numeral sequence "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1"
• The copyright page on a first printing of the first edition shows "Copyright (c) Text Joanne Rowling 1997."
Bloomsbury took a chance on the book only after Rowling had sent it to eight publishers. The publishing house paid her an advance valued at £1,500 (over $1,800) and planned a hardcover edition aimed mainly at libraries, the No. 1 buyer of children's books. Roughly 300 of the initial 500 copies were purchased by libraries or found their way into the hands of children — not adult hands as future press runs eventually would.
"What's astonishing is that copies originally sold for $10.99 and collectors will pay more than $40,000 for a copy," said James Gannon, director of rare books at Heritage Auctions. "You can never underestimate the demand and passion of a Harry Potter fan."
Harry Potter by the Numbers
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
*
PUB DATE: September 1998
INITIAL PRINT RUN: 50,000
CHAPTERS: 17
PAPERBACK: September 8, 1999
SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ED: September 23, 2008
All photos are courtesy of Heritage Auctions, ha.com
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
*
PUB DATE: June 2, 1999
INITIAL PRINT RUN: 250,000
CHAPTERS: 18
PAPERBACK: July 8, 2000
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
*
PUB DATE: September 8, 1999
INITIAL PRINT RUN: 500,000
CHAPTERS: 22
PAPERBACK: September 11, 2001
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
*
PUB DATE: July 8, 2000
INITIAL PRINT RUN: 3.8 million
-Sold 3 million copes in the first weekend on sale; went back to press for additional 3 million
CHAPTERS: 37
PAPERBACK: July 31, 2002
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
*
PUB DATE: June 21, 2003
INITIAL PRINT RUN: 6.8 million
- Went back pre-publication for second printing of 1.7 million
- Ordered third printing of 800k on June 24, bringing in print to 9.3 million
- Sold 5 million copies in first 24 hours
- Sold 11 million copies in first 12 weeks
CHAPTERS: 38
PAPERBACK: August 8, 2004
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
*
PUB DATE: July 16, 2005
INITIAL PRINT RUN: 10.8 million
- Second printing of 2.7 million
- Sold 6.9 million in the first 24 hours
- Sold 11 million in first 9 weeks
CHAPTERS: 30
PAPERBACK: July 25, 2006
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
*
PUB DATE: July 21, 2007
INITIAL PRINT RUN: 12 million
- Sold 8.3 million in the first 24 hours
- Sold 11.5 million it first 10 days
CHAPTERS: 36, plus epilogue
PAPERBACK: July 7, 2009
First-Edition Printing Errors
As is usual with first-edition books, several errors had slipped through the publisher's initial press run of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Finding these mistakes is fun, but they also serve as a crucial means for determining a first-edition, first-printing copy from later reprints. Interestingly, these errors and details were not caught even after the publisher created proofs for Rowling and reviewers.
• "Copyright (c) Text Joanne Rowling 1997" (rather than "J.K. Rowling").
• The seventh line of the imprint page does not include a space between Taylor Thomas and 1997.
• "1 wand" appearing twice (first and last) in the list of "Other Equipment" on page 53.
"As the first book in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone has a special place in the affections of the millions of readers across the world and the proofreading error about the wand in the first edition has, of course, become a treasured piece of Harry Potter arcane," said Matthew Haley, head of Books and Manuscripts at Bonham's Auctions, which sold a first-edition, first-printing copy for a world record $43,750 in November 2016.
First edition, first printing, one of 500 copies of the first and rarest of the Harry Potter books, and one of approximately 300 copies sent to British libraries. Featuring "Copyright (c) Text Joanne Rowling 1997" (rather than "J.K. Rowling"), and "Taylor 1997" (rather than "Taylor 1997") on the copyright page. This particular copy was once the property of the West Sussex Libraries, evidenced by the circular library stamp on the front pastedown. It sold for a whopping $15,535 at auction.
Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, ha.com
For the astute fans of the Harry Potter series, a complete set of seven large octavo volumes of the first American editions of the series can be worth thousands. This set, including The Sorcerer's Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix, Half Blood Prince, and Deathly Hallows, was published in New York by Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic Press, 1998-2007. The set sold for $2,987.
All photos courtesy of Heritage Auctions, ha.com
Reprints
Popularity took off faster than publisher Bloomsbury anticipated, prompting a second press run of 1,000 copies and three more reprints of 500 copies each. Copy editors and Rowling were given a chance to correct errors and replace text of her choosing. A total of 15 changes were made to new editions. Again, collectors immediately zero in on these changes (along with copyright page edition figures) to determine where their copy falls in the early press runs of the first book. The following 15 changes were made to later reprints, according to Philip W. Errington (J.K. Rowling: A Bibliography, 1997-2003):
• Page 15, line 3: "he tried to kill the Potter's son" to "he tried to kill the Potters' son"
• Page 17, lines 31-32: "I'll be takin' Sirius his bike back" to "I'd best get this bike away"
• Page 31, line 34: deletion of a single inverted comma at the beginning of the line
• Page 52, line 35: "Beginners' Guide" to "A Beginner's Guide"
• Page 53, line 9: deletion of second "1 wand" from list
• Page 56, lines 17-18: "seventeen Sickles an ounce" to "sixteen Sickles and ounce"
• Page 72, line 25: "a shiney silver badge" to "a shiney red and gold badge"
• Page 87, line 31: "Hogwarts, a History" to "Hogwarts: A History"
• Page 92, line 22: "four hundred years" to "five hundred years"
• Page 101, line 4: "head of Gryffindor House" to "Head of Gryffindor House"
• Page 147, line 7-8: "looking forward to next day" to "looking forward to the next day"
• Page 168, lines 9-10: "One Hundred Magical Herbs" to "One Thousand Magical Herbs"
• Page 193, line 27: "that's the pub" to "that's one of the pubs"
• Page 205, line 3: "you go next to him" to "you go there"
• Page 205, line 32: "I take one step forward and she'll take me" to "I'll make my move and she'll take me"
The first book is not the only one to feature errors. The first United Kingdom printing of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets from 1998 features several. On the front flap of the dust jacket, paragraph 5, lines 1 and 2, does not have Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in italics; paragraph 5, line 7, "Tom El-Shawk Age 11" has no comma after the name and age has a capital "A"; paragraph 6, line 1, Harry Potter is not italicized; paragraph 6, line 5, Harry is not italicized; paragraph 6, line 7, "Katrina Farrant Age 10" has no comma after the name and age has a capital "A."
Auction Values
Values for early Potter editions continue to climb. As if written in the stars, the first edition, first printing is the rarest and most valuable of all editions. Securing an original copy is extremely difficult and even former library copies fly through auction houses like a seeker during a Quiddich match.
Just seven years ago, a first-edition, first-printing copy (signed and inscribed by Rowling) with solid provenance to her early years as a writer sold for $23,900. Now standard copies from the late 1990s routinely sell between $10,000-$16,000 and up.
Condition makes all the difference: A "virtually as new" copy sold for an astounding $43,750 at auction. The former owner knew the book had value and wrapped it inside a first-edition, later-printing dust jacket.
"Even a complete set signed by the author will now sell in the $15,000 range," Gannon said, "about the same price we've seen for a very, very battered former English library copy."
J.K. Rowling has said the idea for the Harry Potter series came to her during a train ride in the summer of 1990. Her first manuscript was complete in 1996.
Courtesy of Scholastic, scholastic.com
Subsequent Editions
Both the book and motion picture were released in the United States under the name Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, simply because American publisher Scholastic (which paid $105,000 for the U.S. publishing rights) just was not sold on the word "Philosopher" in the title. The commonly told story that Scholastic did not believe American children would be attracted to a book with the word "philosopher" in the title is not true, though. Perhaps it's because the word "sorcerer" was just more exciting than the word "philosopher." When Scholastic suggested the change to Rowling, she agreed, although she came to regret it years later, according to Mental Floss. The remainder of Rowling's six original book titles were retained for both the U.K and U.S. editions, as well as the feature films.
The values for subsequent titles are not as strong as those for the U.K. and U.S. first-edition, first-printing copies. They are still significantly more valuable than most other books published just 20 years ago, but the addition of Rowling's signature greatly boosts the value. Signed copies of the first-edition U.K. copies routinely fetch $2,500 at auction. A signed U.S. first-edition copy of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the second book in the series, sold for $875 in late 2016. This is a great investment when you learn a signed copy of the same book sold for just $316 in 2003, fully 13 years earlier. The price nearly tripled, which goes to show few collectibles increase in value as quickly as a signed, first-edition copy of a Harry Potter book.
A rare, first edition, first printing of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (as published in England) is the pinnacle of Harry Pottery. This copy from the Portsmouth City Library was sold in a custom 19th century-style morocco leather box. It brought $33,460.
All photos courtesy of Heritage Auctions, ha.com
A Special and Rare Book Handwritten and Illustrated by J.K. Rowling
Outside of the first 500 printed editions, there exists several copies of Harry Potter book series that are now highly collectible — and many are still unaccounted for. Although no one knows the fate of the entire first British print run, copies still appear at book and manuscript auctions and in private sales.
In December of 2016, a London auction offered one of the rarest Harry Potter books in the entire world. A rare presentation copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, created, hand-written, and illustrated by Rowling, and containing a personal inscription by the author to the editor who launched her career, sold for $467,000. Rowling gave it to British publisher Barry Cunningham, who famously accepted the first Harry Potter book for publication, It was offered only after she gave personal approval to sell the book at auction.
Rowling mailed her exquisite creation, which is bound in brown morocco leather and decorated with seven unique mounted rhodochrosite stones, in a simple envelope. The exterior is additionally embellished with hallmarked sterling silver ornaments, centered by a silver skull.
All photos courtesy of Sotheby's, sothebys.com
In a dedication written in the front of the book, Rowling wrote: "To Barry, the man who thought an overlong novel about a boy wizard in glasses might just sell ... THANK YOU." He received the book in December 2007 as a present from Rowling.
The Tales of Beedle the Bard wasn't even a real book until it appeared in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows as a gift bequeathed to Hermione by Dumbledore. In the series' final book, the collected five tales are seen as nothing but fairy tales, except for one. The story of "The Tales of the Three Brothers" is explained in the book and plays a crucial role to help Harry, Hermione, and Ron learn about the Deathly Hallows for the first time — and clues on how to destroy Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes. Rowling said she started work immediately on Beedle the Bard after the original series' seventh and final book in order to flesh out the backstory that proved to be an incredibly important aspect of the series' continuity.
After the novel was completed, Rowling created just six, unique hand-written copies of the book for the most important people in her life when she worked so hard to get the Potter series published.
It is easy to see why the copy sold for nearly a half-million dollars. Bound in brown morocco leather, the manuscript carries seven unique mounted rhodochrosite stones. At the end of the volume, the author notes that these semi-precious stones are "traditionally associated with love, balance, and joy in daily life." The exterior is additionally embellished with hallmarked silver ornaments, centered by an ominous, sterling silver skull.
Few people know that a seventh full copy was created specifically for sale at a 2007 auction to raise money for Rowling's charity, Lumos. The book sold for $1.9 million.
Truly, one of Rowling's hand-written and illustrated copies of The Tales of Beedle the Bard ranks among the most valuable Harry Pottery items in the world.
Deluxe collector's edition of The Tales of Beedle the Bard "As translated from the original runes by Hermione Granger, with commentary by Professor Albus Dumbledore." [London: Children's High Level Group, 2008]. Signed by Rowling on the half-title, and with her official holographic sticker. Twelvemo, 180 pages, publisher's full brown leather cover elaborately jeweled and metal fore-edge clasp and other ornaments, all housed in a drawstring felt bag and large felt-lined, artificially aged, antique-style dropdown box; rare with Rowling's signature. This sold for $1,250.
Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, ha.com
A signed copy of J.K. Rowling's The Tales of Beedle the Bard. Translated from the Original Runes by Hermione Granger sold for $896 at auction.
Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, ha.com
A rare, complete set of all seven Harry Potter titles (U.K. editions) sold for a whopping $13,750. Each copy is signed by Rowling, and is a wonderful collection of one of the most celebrated fantasy series of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, ha.com
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Harry Potter - The Unofficial Guide Collectibles Of Our Favorite Wizard"
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Table of Contents
Introduction,
Chapter 1: Books,
Chapter 2: Movie Posters,
Chapter 3: Movie Props,
Chapter 4: Harry Pottery,
Chapter 5: Harry Potter Merchandise,
Chapter 6: Limited-Edition Collectibles,
Chapter 7: Fandom,
Chapter 8: Potter-Inspired Collectibles,
About the Author,