Speculators on an illustration for the first edition of the classic Harry Potter book "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" get a new chance. On Wednesday next week, the illustration goes under the hammer at an auction in New York.
The picture was painted by a mere 23-year-old Thomas Taylor in 1997 when he was simultaneously working in a children's bookshop in Cambridge, England. Publisher Barry Cunningham gave him the assignment regarding J.K. Rowling's book, which was to be released later that summer. Thomas Taylor thus became one of the first to get the opportunity to read a draft of what would later become a classic in children's and young adult literature.
The watercolour illustration, depicting Harry Potter in his round glasses and with the characteristic lightning-shaped scar on his forehead, is expected to fetch a price between £400,000 and £600,000.
However, it is not the first time the illustration has been auctioned off; in 2001, at an auction in London, the final price was just over £85,000, equivalent to 1.1 million Swedish kronor. The success surrounding Harry Potter has, however, grown significantly since then, and more than 500 million books have now been sold.
