A rare first edition of Harry Potter has made its way to UBC
By Callum Gunn
The University of BC has completed their collection with the addition of a first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone
Members of the public and University of BC students can cast their eyes on a real-life first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. The extremely rare and valuable novel was secured by the University and is now on display in the library.
Reportedly costing $36,500 USD, about $46,490 CDN depending on the exchange rate. The University must have cast some serious spells to secure the book at that price. It’s an eye-watering amount to spend on a book but first edition copies have been known to go for double the price. So the University got an amazing deal.
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It’s a strange thing for a University to be investing in but they take the view that they are collecting, not for the sake of collecting, but to make a piece of children’s literature history available for future generations.
The collection is complete
With this new addition, UBC has now completed their collection of first edition Harry Potter books. They already had complete sets of the US and Candian versions of Harry Potter. They just required the first in the Harry Potter UK series to complete the UK collection.
(Photo by Christie’s/Getty Images)
The original prints of Harry Potter in the UK have not been easy to come by. Only 500 were ever made, the majority going to Libraries. UBC reportedly tried to acquire one via auction but soon realized how difficult this was and how competitive it could be. They then turned to a rare book dealer who managed to acquire the book which formerly belonged to a library.
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Anyone wishing to see this wonderful collection can do so this weekend. After then it will move to its permanent home in the Rare Books and Special Collections department. At that point, you will need o register for a User Card to see the display.
Next: Learn to be a wizard like Harry Potter this summer
What do you think about the University of BC having a collection like this? Are you close enough to visit, if so will you? Leave us a comment below with your thoughts.