Rare Harry Potter First Edition to be Auctioned by Heritage! The Rare True First Edition of the First Harry Potter Book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone will be offered in Heritage Auction Galleries' upcoming Rare Books & Manuscripts auction, to be hel
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Subject: PR: Rare Harry Potter First Edition to be Auctioned by Heritage
From: "Heritage Auction Galleries"
Date: Tue, September 25, 2007 10:33 am
To: phil@bignews.biz
Priority: Normal
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James Gannon, 1-800-872-6467 Ext. 1609; JamesG@HA.com
High Quality Photography Available Upon Request
Rare Harry Potter First Edition to be Auctioned by Heritage!
Limited Printing of Only 300 Makes This a True Collector's Item
DALLAS, TEXAS: One of the most successful publishing franchises in history, J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series had rather humble beginnings. First issued in a very limited printing of a mere 300 copies in hardcover, almost all of which went to schools and libraries, this modest volume would lead to one of the most popular book and film series in the modern world.
Since the 1997 release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (the book was retitled Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone when it was released in the US), the series has proven to be one of the most popular in history. It's reported that as of April 2007, the series had sold more than 325 million copies and had been translated into more than 60 different languages. The first five books have been made into blockbuster films, with the sixth set to begin filming later this year.
"Clearly, Harry Potter is a publishing phenomenon," said James Gannon, Director of Rare Books for Dallas-based Heritage Auction Galleries. "Joanne Rowling first came up with the idea for Harry and his magical world in 1990. Five years later, she was ready to submit the manuscript to publishers, several of whom turned her down. Eventually, Bloomsbury, a London publisher, picked it up, and gave Rowling a £3,000 advance, releasing the book in a very limited printing in July 1997. The rest, as they say, is history."
"The copy we're offering in our upcoming auction is part of that initial printing," Gannon said. "The book was originally produced with pictorial laminated boards and without a dust jacket of any kind, as would be most appropriate for a book aimed at schools and libraries. This is an ex-library copy, with a few minor defects that one would expect to find in a book of this type, but is an overall handsome and attractive volume that presents quite nicely. Few modern first editions are as rare or as desirable as this, the book that launched a publishing empire."
"I'd invite Harry Potter fans around the world, and those with a passion for the most sought-after books, to visit our website at www.HA.com , where they'll be able to view full-color, enlargeable images of each and every lot in our upcoming auctions, along with
