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It’s how it feels to me. That old-fashioned steam train. Those yellow stars in the smoke. The look of wonder on Harry’s face. Maybe it’s because this is the first Harry Potter I ever saw, but to me the cover is full of magic. Then, on Harry's eleventh birthday, a great beetle-eyed giant of a man called Rubeus Hagrid bursts in with some astonishing news: Harry Potter is a wizard, and he has a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. An incredible adventure is about to begin! Newton: The next day I chaired the editorial meeting and everyone was humming with excitement. We only had a tiny children’s team. Four people. They all sat on beanbags in one room on the fifth floor. Barry asked for authorisation to buy the rights and I said something like: “Alice absolutely loved it – approved!” Everybody else felt the same way. So he offered for UK and Commonwealth rights. He didn’t offer for US rights because in those days we didn’t have a US company. I learned that lesson – one year later, I started Bloomsbury USA. Harry’s best friend, Ron Weasley, was played by flame-haired actor Rupert Grint, who secured his part by recording a self-penned rap about his suitability for the role. Harry Potter lives in the cupboard under the stairs at his uncle and aunt's house at number four, Privet Drive until the day when a mysterious letter arrives from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and a giant on a flying motorcycle arrives to change his life with four simple words- 'Harry yer a wizard.'
Years after he’d done the cover, Taylor met JK Rowling for the first time, when she came to sign books in his bookshop. She knew who he was, and they chatted, but not about Harry Potter – “just about gardening”. Since then, Rowling has become a divisive figure, her views on trans people seemingly at odds with her stories, and their message of tolerance and kindness. Taylor nods when I mention this. Galloping gargoyles! 2022 is the silver anniversary of J.K. Rowling's magical classic Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone !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. Harry Potter lives in the cupboard under the stairs at his uncle and aunt's house at number four, Privet Drive – until the day when a mysterious letter arrives from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and a giant on a flying motorcycle arrives to change his life with four simple words: 'Harry – yer a wizard.' The Harry Potter series has been responsible for inspiring and engaging young readers here and around the world for twenty-five years,” says President of Scholastic Trade, Ellie Berger. From midnight parties to Muggle Walls, we’ve seen firsthand the excitement and the power of J.K. Rowling’s brilliant storytelling, with themes of friendship and family, all still relevant today. Here’s to the next twenty-five years of reading magic!” World Book Day also turns 25 in 2022, and it is partnering with Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone for a “double celebration” on World Book Day (March 3). More will be revealed about this intriguing event in the new year. Plus, there is “more to come in [a]utumn 2022, with more magical Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone activity to be announced.” Newton: For the release of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in 2000 we hired the dining carriage in which the Armistice treaty had been signed, and put together a whole Edwardian train which left from King’s Cross.
Things have changed now. “I’ve got my own things going on,” he says. His series of children’s books, Malamander, which funnily enough he didn’t do the cover art for, has been so successful that he’s often invited to schools to give readings. Harry Potter doesn’t even come up. When it does, “it feels like it’s an interesting part of my past. It’s a nice line on my CV. Having had an awkward earlier phase with Harry Potter, I’m pleased to have been able to bring it into a more positive context where I can just enjoy it.” The joyous annual World Book Day (WBD) also turn [ sic] 25 in 2022 – so WBD and Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone are partnering up for a double celebration on World Book Day on Thursday 3rd March 2022. More to be revealed in the [n]ew [y]ear. A glorious silver anniversary edition of J.K. Rowling's classic first story, featuring the original 1997 front cover illustration by Thomas Taylor and exciting bonus material to celebrate 25 years of Harry Potter magic Galloping gargoyles … 2022 is the silver anniversary of J.K. Rowling’s magical classic Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone! 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. Bloomsbury will also donate 800 copies of the Jonny Duddle anniversary edition to schools through the National Literacy Trust’s Young Readers Programme, which supports children who live in disadvantaged areas and are unable to read at their expected level, to “develop their love of books and reading identity through a series of fun events focused on book choice and reading for enjoyment.”Harry and Hagrid in an illustration from a 2015 edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by Jim Kay. This glorious, Sunday Times bestselling collector's edition of J.K. Rowling's classic first story will take you on the magical journey of a lifetime.
Bloomsbury are also donating a further 800 copies of the anniversary edition to 50 schools via the National Literacy Trust’s Young Readers Programme. Details to be confirmed! We will announce on social media as soon as we have more information to share, or sign-up to our Harry Potter newsletter. years on, and people still remember the exact moment they entered the wizarding world. Here’s to a very special silver anniversary – and onwards to the next! And there’s more to come in [a]utumn 2022, with more magical Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone activity to be announced. Cunningham had warned Rowling, too, that she would “never make any money from the book”, but its popularity soon exploded. When “the mania”, as Taylor puts it, took off, he was still working at the bookshop. And whenever a customer bought a copy of Harry Potter, his colleagues would point him out and tell them that he did the cover. Most of the time they didn’t believe it. “You could see them thinking, ‘Why is the person associated with this huge thing working behind the till?’” he says.THURSDAY 3rd FEBRUARY 2022 sees the launch of Miles of Magic: Reading Challenge. Created by the National Literacy Trust in partnership with Bloomsbury Children’s Books, this is a fun and exciting seven week reading for pleasure campaign, helping to bring the magic of reading to life for children, as part of the 25th anniversary celebrations of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling, first published in the UK in 1997. The teen actors were guided by a seasoned group of older British actors, though not all of them played parents and teachers. Shirley Henderson, who played Moaning Myrtle, 14, was 36 years old when she took on the role. The Harry Potter fan space has always been a really rich, creative and inclusive space,” he says. “And I’ve always felt that it’s owned by the fans really. I hope as many fans as possible can continue to shape it as they need it to be, and to continue to find what they need from it. I hope they can.” Author and Illustrator Thomas Taylor with dog Alpha at his studio in Bexhill on Sea, Sussex (Photo: David McHugh/Brighton Pictures)