inefable

dementorkissingbooth:

Here’s a rare and awesome piece of Harry Pottermemorabilia: A First Deluxe Edition of Philosopher’s Stone with a 10 full-color illustrations by the first artist who had a go at sketching Harry.

 The book will go up for auction via Sotheby’s and is expected to sell for around £30,000-50,000:

Offered for sale for the first time, a unique copy of the first 1999 deluxe edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling, is estimated at £30,000-50,000. The bespoke, extra-illustrated edition is not only signed by the author but also includes 10 specially commissioned full-colour plates by the original Harry Potter illustrator, Thomas Taylor. The consignor asked Taylor to create the images in 2002 for his own library. The scenes were chosen for their significance and to provide an even spread of illustrations throughout the narrative. They were originally intended to be bound into a copy of the book, but proving too thick, were instead reproduced on fine wove paper and sumptuously bound by Asprey. Thomas Taylor provided the first-ever depiction of Harry Potter for the cover of Rowling‟s debut novel in 1997. After it was published the image achieved world-wide fame and Taylor‟s original watercolour was sold at Sotheby‟s London in July 2001 for £85,750.