The "very first appearance in print" of the first book in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series was bought for less than a dollar more than a quarter-century ago. This week, it was sold in an auction ...

The Harry Potter book was among the piles – maybe even by accident – as all the rest were Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, etc., as far as I remember.

"This book so deserved to do well. This proof copy is where the Harry Potter phenomenon began. This is the very first appearance in print of the first Potter novel," Spencer said.

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.