A first edition of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone“ by J. K. Rowling, which retailed for £4.99 (approximately $13 at 2026 exchange rates) in 1997, has been sold at auction in England for £17,000 ($23,000), the Mirror newspaper reports.
The paperback belonged to Edinburgh book critic Katrina McNicol. McNicol, then 24, had obtained it from a second-hand bookshop but never had time to read it. She packed the brand-new copy in a box, where it sat in her attic for nearly 30 years – until she decided to sell her belongings.
According to the article, Hansons, the auction house that held the rare book sale in Lichfield, Staffordshire, called the copy "extremely rare" and in near-mint condition.
The article states that when "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" was first published, Bloomsbury expected limited demand and printed only 500 hardcover copies and just over 5,000 paperback copies. As a result, first editions have become some of the most sought-after modern books among collectors. The first edition is notable for two errors on the back cover - for example, the word "Philosopher's" is misspelled without the second „o“.
In 2017, a first edition of the book, signed by Rowling, was sold at Bonhams auction house in London for a record £106,000 ($140,000). Seven volumes of the British author's works were published between 1997 and 2007. The books, published in more than 80 languages, have sold more than 500 million copies. Rowling's works have been made into more than ten films.