Rare Harry Potter book with mistakes sold for £11,000
- Published
- comments
The uncorrected proof copy misnames the author JA Rowling rather than JK
A rare copy of the very first Harry Potter novel has sold for £11,000.
The book was bought for just 13p nearly 30 years ago.
What makes this book particularly special is that it's an uncorrected version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, known as a proof.
Author JK Rowling's name is incorrectly written as JA Rowling in the first few pages.
Early or rare editions of Harry Potter books often sell for thousands of pounds.
What is a proof copy of a book?
The book is a proof which means it was not ready to be published
When publishers are getting a book ready to be sold, they must first print a copy of the book to be checked.
This is called a proof.
Only a select few are allowed to read the proof, including the publishers and the author of the book. It is not intended to be sold.
Any mistakes found in the proof are corrected and once the publisher is happy, they will reprint the book for sale.
Original copies of the Harry Potter books can sell for hundreds of thousands of pounds
The anonymous seller first bought the book in 1997 from a second-hand shop in London.
She said: "I didn't have much money but I always liked to treat myself to a browse round second-hand bookshops on Saturday mornings.
"I bought it as a throw-in with a couple of other titles - 40p for all three. I don't think I even looked at it properly to tell the truth."
When she discovered the book was valuable, she contacted auctioneer Jim Spencer.
She called finding the book all those years ago "a massive piece of well-timed luck".
Auctioneer and Harry Potter books expert Jim Spencer said: "This is the very first appearance in print of the first Potter novel."
"This book so deserved to do well. This is where the Harry Potter phenomenon began."
- Published12 December 2021
- Published17 October 2021
- Published22 May 2020
