London: Bloomsbury, 1997. First edition. First impression of the preferred hardcover issue, with all the requisite points: Bloomsbury imprint, 10-down-to-1 number line, and in the list of equipment on page 51 "1 wand" appearing twice, "Philospher's" typo on the rear board. Original matte laminated boards without a jacket. A Fine copy, appearing unfaded and unread. A slight bump to the lower board, but generally a fresh copy. Only 500 copies of the first printing of Philosopher's Stone were issued in this hardback format, of which more than half were taken by libraries and rendered undesirable for collectors. Housed in a custom quarter-leather clamshell case.

This copy presented by the author to Grainne, who ran the Edinburgh restaurant, Nicholson's Cafe, where Rowling wrote a large portion of the original manuscript. "For Grainne, With best wishes. J.K. Rowling." The author presented this copy to Grainne after seeing the results of her labors published and celebrated the birth of Harry Potter with one of the people who had been there from the very beginning. "This is Nicolsons where I wrote huge parts of the book. This was a really great place to write, because there were so many tables around here that I didn’t feel too guilty about taking a table up too long and that was my favorite table." -- J.K. Rowling. An exceptionally meaningful presentation copy.

Harry Potter is the most successful book franchise of all time, with over 600 million copies of the books sold, and with spin-off film and media projects worth billions. The true first edition has been no less meteoric in its rise to the top of collectors' lists for modern books. Copies consistently set new records at auction. "The books' ultimate appeal lies in the universal themes of good triumphing over evil and the importance of love. No matter what age, gender, or race you are, there is something relatable in the Harry Potter series.  The series’ large fan following pioneered the way for young adult book series to turn into movie franchises.  Harry Potter was among the first, and it remains the most successful to date. Indeed, the series has surpassed any other franchise as a world-wide cultural phenomenon due to the creation of theme parks and real-life quidditch teams, and the great lengths that fans go to in order to show their devotion to the series" (McFadden).

Errington A1(a); Grolier, Children's 100, 100. Fine (Item #6648)