Harry Potter Book Sells For $19K – Too Much?

Posted by JeanneSager at 10:00 AM on March 23, 2009

I love me some Hogwarts. But I don’t know that I could ever love a children’s book this much.

A rare copy of the first book in the Harry Potter series – Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone here in the states, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in author J.K. Rowling’s native England, has sold for $US19,120.

Autographed by Rowling, the first edition soft cover book was expected to fetch $US12,000 at the auction in Texas, and the sale obviously exceeded the auction house’s expectations. It’s not actually the biggest blowout for Potter paraphernalia – an eight-hundred word prequel hand-written by Rowling sold for almost $US50,000 last June to help an English writer’s group and a charity for dyslexia.

But I confess I just don’t get it – and not just in light of the current state of the economy. It’s a children’s book, and what crazy loon is going to let their kid flip through the pages of a $US19,000 book? I’m one of those adults who went hogwild for Harry, but I still think books are to be read . . . not stared at on a shelf somewhere. When it comes to children’s books in particular, I’m all the more inclined to say get them out there, get those kids reading!

What do you think? If you had the money, would you blow it on something like this?

Image: Amazon

Tags:

Comments

There are currently no comments.

 

Post Your Comments

Name:

Email Address:

URL:

Comment:

Strollerderby

Updated daily by the wittiest parents in the blogosphere, Strollerderby provides a scroll of breaking news, spot-on reviews of entertainment and products, and irreverent discussions of hot topics.

Send your tips to strollerderby@babble.com.au.

FameCrawler

Tori And Dean – It’s Date Night

5:25 PM Tori and Dean took some time off from the kids. They look super happy. Do you think they called the paps to let them know of their outing? Tori looks like she may have gained a... read more

Harlow Madden Has An Attitude

4:21 PM I love little Harlow’s attitude in this picture. I’m sure it was just the moment they snapped the shutter, but it’s adorable. She’s going to face life he... read more

Droolicious

Fab New Kids’ Clothes And Shoes Shop To Open!

5:03 PM Stocking Lulu Australia bags, Rock Your Baby and Sudo clothes - not to mention being the only shop in Oz to stock Kickers and Pippy Toes, Naughty Monkeys is set to blow our min... read more

Fisher-Price Handy Manny’s Repair Shop

10:11 AM Every little handy-kid needs a workbench for his or her special projects, and with Handy Manny himself on-hand in this Handy Manny’s Repair Shop playset, it’s even... read more
Babble Partners