In June, one of the most well-known book covers of the 21st century will be auctioned at Sotheby’s: the artwork for the first book in the Harry Potter series.
It is expected to fetch a staggering £320,000 to £480,000 – a record estimate for any Harry Potter material offered at auction.
“It is hard to convey the impact of this illustration by Thomas Taylor, created in 1997, for the then-unknown novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,” Richard Austin, Sotheby’s Global Head of Books & Manuscripts, said.
“Instantly recognizable today, Taylor’s work serves as the visual blueprint for the boy wizard who has since inspired millions worldwide…” Austin said.
The work was, unbelievably, Taylor’s first professional commission. At 23, he designed the cover while working at a bookshop in Cambridge.
“It is exciting to see the painting that marks the very start of my career, decades later and as bright as ever! It takes me back to the experience of reading Harry Potter for the first time — one of the first people in the world to do so — and the process of creating what is now an iconic image,” illustrator Thomas Taylor said.
“As I write and illustrate my own stories today, I am proud to look back on such magical beginnings,” Taylor said.
Taylor completed the book’s artwork in only two days. He used his dad as inspiration for the wizard on the back cover.
Harry Potter works tend to do well at auction: a first edition of the book sold for £11,000 earlier this year at Sotheby’s.
The illustration was first auctioned in 2001 at Sotheby’s and was estimated at £20,000 to £25,000 before being sold at £85,750.
An original manuscript for The Tales of Beedle The Bard, another book in the ‘Harry Potter universe’ is also set to be auctioned for an estimated £200,000-280,000.