A first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone has been sold at auction, fetching a stupefying £68,000 ($90,000).
The book was one of 500 hardbacks printed in 1997, the first in JK Rowling's series about the "boy who lived".
Valued between £40,000 to £60,000, it went under the hammer at Bonhams Auction House in Knightsbridge, London, on Wednesday, December 9. The auction battle came down to two buyers who placed bids online and by phone.
Do you have an early-edition Harry Potter worth thousands?
The early run of 500 books are noted for their mistakes. The author is listed as “Joanne Rowling” and the name of the novel is misspelt as “Harry Potter and the Philospher's Stone” on the back cover.
Another error noted is the doubling of “1 wand” at the beginning and end of Harry’s school equipment list, along with a cauldron, crystal phials, a telescope, brass scales and the option of bringing an owl, cat or toad. Readers will know that the young wizard arrived with his snowy owl, Hedwig, an 11th birthday gift from Hagrid.
The particular edition that sold last week had a hand-written note from the author, reading: "With lots of love from Jo (also known as JK Rowling)."
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
Dubai World Cup factbox
Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)
Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)
Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)
Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
