J.K. Rowling’s 1997 novel “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” was the beginning of what would become a worldwide phenomenon. Now, the original illustration for the first edition of ...

The original illustration for the first edition of J.K. Rowling’s 1997 novel “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” has sold for a record-breaking $1.9 million.

Sotheby's June 26 auction of Thomas Taylor's watercolor illustration for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is estimated to sell for $400,000-$600,000.

His cover art took only two days to create. Harry Potter’s place in literary history The illustration was on the cover of the first edition of the novel in 1997, which quickly became a bestseller.

When it comes to alternate endings for various Harry Potter characters, my mind immediately goes to the people who met tragic ends in the series. This AI art did too.

A version of this article appears in print on June 28, 2024, Section B, Page 3 of the New York edition with the headline: Original Cover Art for ‘Harry Potter’ Fetches $1.92 Million at Auction.

A first edition copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was the previous record-holder. It sold for $421,000 at Heritage Auctions in Dallas in 2021.

From the press release: “The front cover of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows features a dramatic sky of oranges and golds. It depicts 17-year-old Harry with arm outstretched, reaching upward.

The move to incorporate a new cover art couldn’t have come at a better time as well as its going to be the 25th anniversary of the publication of the first Harry Potter book in the UK in June.

Now, Taylor’s original cover art for the first edition of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is going to auction, where it’s expected to fetch between $400,000 and ...

The original ‘Harry Potter’ book cover art is expected to break records at auction By Chloe Veltman (NPR) May 5, 2024 8:05 a.m.