A rare 'Harry Potter' book that was bought for 30p (9,000 VND) could sell for £5,000 (150 million VND) at auction on July 10.
Record-breaking book
Years ago, a man in the Staffordshire area of England bought the first volume of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone . It was one of 500 copies released in 1997, of which 300 ended up in libraries.
This copy of 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' could soon sell for £5,000. Photo: Richard Winterton
Earlier this year, the man who bought the Harry Potter books died. The books were stored in storage and the sister of the original owner thought they were lost.
Auctioneer Richard Winterton said the rare book will be auctioned on July 10, creating a “magical moment”.
His sister said her brother had a lifelong passion for books : “He started collecting books and souvenirs when he was in school. He sold all sorts of odds and ends and bought a bunch of comics, newspapers, and magazines.”
“When he moved four years ago, he packed everything into hundreds of boxes, and then put many of the boxes into storage containers,” she said. Her brother knew he had the Harry Potter book, but couldn’t remember where he put it, so they assumed it was lost. “Now that we’ve found it, we’re very happy,” she said.
Earlier this year, the owner of the book died suddenly at the age of 55 and the book was eventually found after auctioneer Richard Winterton went through his belongings.
The book still has the library label, a J sticker on the spine, and a price tag of 30 cents. Photo: Richard Winterton
“It was clearly widely read, which is most fitting given that it was one of the first books to help fuel the early popularity of Harry Potter ,” Mr Winterton said. “The series quickly grew into a global phenomenon.”
Best-selling series, richest writer
Harry Potter is a seven-part series of novels by British author J.K. Rowling (born July 31, 1965). Since the publication of part one ( Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - British edition; Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - American edition; Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - Vietnamese translation) on June 30, 1997, the series has become increasingly popular worldwide , critically acclaimed and commercially successful.
The entire seven-volume series, with the seventh volume split into two parts, was adapted into eight films in the same series released by Warner Bros. In 2016, the value of this series was estimated at $25 billion.
A scene from the movie 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' (from left: Daniel-Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson). Photo: Warner Bros Pictures
As of February 2023, the Harry Potter series has sold over 600 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling book series in history and has been translated into 84 languages. Thanks to that success, JK Rowling has become the richest writer in literary history.
Author JK Rowling. Photo: Wikipedia
In 2004, American magazine Forbes named Rowling “the first author to earn a billion dollars.” By 2012, Forbes concluded that she was no longer a billionaire due to her charitable contributions and high British taxes.
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