‘He’ll be famous – a legend – I wouldn’t be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter Day in future – there will be books written about Harry – every child in our world will know his name!’ Chapter One: The Boy Who Lived - Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone 2022: a magical journey in the UK to celebrate 25 years of one of the world’s greatest children’s books Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling Published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling celebrates 25 years in print in 2022 in the UK and Bloomsbury Children’s Books will be celebrating throughout the year in magical style, alongside the publication of two special limited editions. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is the unforgettable first novel that set Harry Potter’s destiny in motion. This magical story has been inspiring new generations of readers ever since its publication in the UK on 26th June 1997 – which became an unprecedented publishing phenomenon beloved by fans all over the world. And on Sunday 26th June 2022, Harry Potter turns the page to celebrate 25 years in print! From the idea born by J.K. Rowling on a train journey in 1990, with an initial hardback print run of just 500 copies, the series has gone on to sell over 500 million books worldwide in over 80 languages, inspiring a major movie franchise, a spellbinding theatre production and so much more. In the years since Harry Potter was first whisked from King’s Cross Station onto Platform nine and three quarters, his incredible adventures have left a unique and lasting mark on popular culture. Thursday 9th June sees the publication of a glorious silver anniversary hardback edition of J.K. Rowling’s classic first story, featuring the original, iconic 1997 cover illustration by Thomas Taylor and exciting bonus material to celebrate 25 years of Harry Potter magic.

In celebration of 25 years of Harry Potter magic, Bloomsbury is proud to be releasing a special commemorative edition featuring the much loved original cover design, with artwork by Thomas Taylor. After its first publication in 1997, the illustration of Harry Potter with his lightning bolt scar, standing next to the Hogwarts Express on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, would go on to become one of the most iconic book covers of the twentieth century, offering a tantalising first glimpse of J.K. Rowling’s endlessly spellbinding wizarding world.

Since then, Harry Potter and his epic adventures have become a cultural phenomenon, bewitching millions of readers all across the globe. This irresistible anniversary edition – available for one year only – will bring back treasured memories for the fans who remember the excitement when Harry’s journey first began, as well as introduce a new generation to the unforgettable story of the Boy Who Lived.

In addition to a bright dust jacket emblazoned with a removable silver sticker, there is a wealth of fantastic bonus content waiting inside. Readers are invited to relive the book’s magical publishing journey, enjoy drawings from J.K. Rowling’s own archive and discover Thomas Taylor’s charming account of how a young artist came to illustrate Harry Potter for the very first time. The inside pages also feature the fully updated and redesigned story text to provide the perfect reading experience.

The Bloomsbury 2022 celebrations began in January, with an updated classic silver anniversary paperback edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, with Jonny Duddle’s cover illustration, emblazoned with lightning strike silver foil livery. This beloved classic edition has been refreshed and updated, with fun extra content to entertain young readers as they begin their journey through the stories Celebrations for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’s journey continued with a busy February with a worldwide Magical Journeys themed Harry Potter Book Night. Bloomsbury created an exclusive Event Pack (still available to download throughout 2022) bursting with party tips, enchanting games, bewitching activities, crafts, recipes, costumes, quizzes and easy-to-make design ideas for some favourite modes of transport inspired by the Harry Potter stories: the Hogwarts Express, broomsticks, or maybe even a Thestral for witches, wizards and muggles to embark on a magical journey of their own in 2022! February also saw the launch of Bloomsbury’s exciting anniversary campaign with The National Literacy Trust – Miles of Magic: The Harry Potter Book Relay and the Harry Potter Reading Challenge. This ambitious partnership launched with a live virtual multi school event with award winning Harry Potter illustrator Jonny Duddle teaching all how to draw Hagrid! (Available throughout 2022 on YouTube.) And March has already seen Bloomsbury Children’s Books partnering with the joyous annual World Book Day (WBD), which included an exclusive Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone competition on the printed £1 book token, which was distributed to children through schools, nurseries and via BookTrust and the Scottish BookTrust on WBD.

And there’s more to come in the lead up to 26th June and through into Autumn 2022 with more magical Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone celebrations to be announced.

25th Anniversary Trailer: https://youtu.be/8A4qhBq9I5k

Galloping gargoyles … 2022 is the silver anniversary of J.K. Rowling’s magical classic J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone!

Harry Potter Event Pack https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/discover/harry-potter/harry-potter-book-night-2022/

Silver anniversary edition

Jonny Duddle YouTube link
Silver anniversary paperback edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, illustrated by Jonny Duddle and emblazoned with a lightning strike silver foil livery

JONNY DUDDLE, the award winning Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone illustrator show us all how to draw Hagrid!

YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPjox_pDNZc (you can watch along here and do not need to register for the webinar)

National Literacy Trust – Miles of Magic

National Literacy ~Trust - Miles of Magic: The Harry Potter Book Relay and the Harry Potter Reading Challenge

https://literacytrust.org.uk/harry-potter-challenge

Thursday 9th June
Commemorative 25th anniversary hardback edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone featuring the original 1997 cover design and artwork by Thomas Taylor. This very special limited edition will include exclusive new bonus material

Sunday 26th June 2022
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’s 25th anniversary Notes to editors: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone • 20th January 2022 • £7.99 • 9781408855652 • Paperback Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone: 25th Anniversary Edition • 9th June 2022 • 9781526646651 • £16.99 • Hardback with dust jacket J.K. Rowling is the author of the seven Harry Potter books, which have sold over 500 million copies, been translated into over 80 languages, and made into eight blockbuster films. She has also written three short companion volumes for charity, including Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which later became the inspiration for a new series of films, also written by J.K. Rowling. She then continued Harry’s story as a grown-up in a stage play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which she wrote with playwright Jack Thorne and director John Tiffany. In 2020, J.K. Rowling returned to publishing for younger children, with the fairy tale The Ickabog, the royalties from which she is donating to her charitable trust Volant to help vulnerable groups affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Her latest children’s novel The Christmas Pig, a standalone adventure story about a boy’s love for his most treasured thing and how far he will go to find it, is out now. J.K. Rowling has received many awards and honours for her writing. She also supports a number of causes through her charitable trust Volant and is the founder of the children’s charity Lumos. For as long as she can remember, J.K. Rowling has wanted to be a writer, and is at her happiest in a room, making things up. She lives in Scotland with her family. Jonny Duddle lives with his family deep in the hills of North Wales, in a village called Nannerch, where he spends most of his time drawing and creating magical illustrations. He is best known for his award-winning picture books, including The Pirates Next Door, winner of the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2012, and Gigantosaurus, which has been adapted for TV. When he’s not drawing, he likes exploring forests, riding his bike and building garden sheds. Thomas Taylor’s first professional commission after leaving art school was the cover art for a debut novel called Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling. He then went on to illustrate, and also write, more than a dozen picture books (most notably the Clovis the Tiger books) before venturing into the world of children’s fiction himself. His bestselling middle grade novel Malamander (2019) has been translated into 20 languages, and introduces a five-book series about a mysterious seaside town called Eerie-on-Sea. Thomas currently lives on the south coast of England. Bloomsbury is a leading independent publishing house. The children’s division publishes books for children and young adults in print, eBook and audio. It publishes across preschool, picture books, fiction and non-fiction. Its award-winning, diverse list includes authors such as J.K. Rowling, Benjamin Zephaniah, Katherine Rundell, Neil Gaiman, Renée Watson and Sarah J. Maas, and illustrators such as Chris Riddell, Emily Gravett, Rikin Parekh, Kate Pankhurst, Jim Kay and Tom Percival. For more information go to www.bloomsbury.com

For further information, event packs, books and more please contact Deborah Goodman +44 (0)20 8959 9980 +44 (0)7958 611218 publicity@dgpr.co.uk