Wizard £106k for rare Harry Potter

A RARE first edition of a Harry Potter book that author JK Rowling gave a friend as a gift has sold at auction for a world record price of £106,250. Miss Rowling and the woman, ‘Meera’, met when their children were at nursery in Edinburgh. As their friendship grew, the author gave her a signed edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone before it hit the shelves The copy, one of only 500 printed during the first run, is inscribed: ‘For Meera, Donnie, Nastassia and Kai, with lots of love from Jo.’ The message is dated only a month and one day after the book’s publication on June 26, 199 . The edition also contains an error that was corrected in later print runs. On page 53, ‘1 wand’ is duplicated on a shopping list. The copyright is also credited to ‘Joanne Rowling’, later changed to JK Rowling. The book – the first of seven about the boy wizard – went under the hammer at the Bonhams Fine Books and Manuscripts sale in London and smashed its £30,000 estimate.

Bonhams’ Matthew Haley said: ‘There is always a great deal of interest when first editions of Harry Potter books come to auction – especially, of course, in the very first one in the series.

‘This particular example was not only in excellent condition but it had the added attraction of a very personal inscription from the author.’

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, left, was famously written in cafés in Edinburgh.

It is thought that ‘Meera’ is Meera Sutherland, now living in Livingston, West Lothian.