Harry Potter's Page >>>F E E D<<< Your Potter Addiction

Famous footballer (soccer player) Wayne Rooney has said that Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is his favorite book. Rooney, who plays for Manchester United, really isn't known for reading. He's more known for his aggressive play on the pitch. However, when asked why he chose Potter, he stated, "Harry Potter is almost every child's favourite book and the same goes for a lot of adults too! JK Rowling is a fantastic author and I could encourage any child to read the Harry Potter books; they are full of excitement and adventure and they really get your imagination going."

He chose the book as part of the Premier League Reading Stars program, an educational project that uses the motivational power of football (soccer) to encourage families to enjoy reading. Check out the story, and a photo of Rooney with his favorite book, here!

So, there you go. If Rooney can enjoy Potter, than anyone can!

Thanks much to Sarah Ebner for letting us know!

Philosopher's Stone Proof Going Up for Bid

A proof copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is going up for bid by Bloomsbury Auctions. The proof is one of only 200 ever made. The auction begins at 5am PT on January 22nd and will last for only one day. Starting bids will be at £1400 and the estimate is £2,800 - £3,200. The proof is described as:

Rowling (J.K.) Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, uncorrected proof copy, with misspelling 'J.A.Rowling' on title, original white & yellow wrappers, 8vo, 1997.

***An excellent copy of the scarce proof for the first of the Harry Potter titles, one of only 200 copies.

You can get more information here.

They also have other Harry Potter books up for bid, including a signed first edition of Prisoner of Azkaban, and a signed first edition of Goblet of Fire.

Scholastic: New Paperback Cover For Sorcerer's Stone

Thanks to MuggleNet, we have a scan of the new Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone cover for the US paperback edition. It is an illustration of Harry and Hagrid’s visit to Ollivander’s, drawn by Mary GrandPre. The scan was obtained from the Scholastic Book Club. At the moment, we don’t have a release date.

Click here to see the scan in the photo gallery

Scholastic's Harry Potter Cover to Cover Live Now!

We previously told you that Scholastic would be holding a Harry Potter Cover to Cover Day read-a-thon at their headquarters in New York City today. Those who attend will get a chance to read from the 10-year anniversary edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. But, if you're not in New York, no worries. You can watch it online live here!

Scholastic's Harry Potter Cover to Cover Day September 23rd

We previously told you that Scholastic was planning a special 10-year anniversary edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone to be released on September 23rd. To help celebrate the release, they're having a Harry Potter Cover to Cover Day read-a-thon at their headquarters in New York City on the same day. Those who are there can get a chance to read from the book while sitting in the very same throne that JK Rowling sat in at Carnegie Hall. The first 100 readers will get a copy of the book. See a video of all their preparations for the read-a-thon here.

Some special guests will also be taking part in the event, including KayCee Stroh from High School Musical 3, the academy award winner Marcia Gay Harden, Kurt Loder from MTV as well as Jill Zarin from Real Housewives of New York on Bravo.

For those who are unable to attend, they're going to hold the event live online at www.scholastic.com/readharry.

Thanks to TLC.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: A New Book Classic

Entertainment Weekly posted a photo gallery of the top 25 from their 100 New Book Classics list. According to the site, these books from the past 25 years will be among the rest of the classics like Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens and The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the fourth book in the series by J.K. Rowling, was #2 on the list, surpassing Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the first book in the series, which was listed among the top 75.

Other books on the list include The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, Beloved by Toni Morrison, and Cold Mountain by Charles Fraizer.

Click here to see EW's photo gallery of the books.

Thanks to Sugar Covered Quills for the tip.

Philosopher's Stone Proof Book Goes to Daniel Craig

We previously told you that Jonathan Ross would be hosting the Great British Movie Event that was to help raise money for the National Film and Television School. Many Harry Potter stars and crew were to attend, including Ralph Fiennes (Voldemort), producer David Barron, Goblet of Fire director Mike Newell, Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid), and Alan Rickman (Snape). Movie props and a proof copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone were to be auctioned. Actor Daniel Craig was the lucky winner of the proof copy of Philosopher's Stone. He paid £18000 ($36000) for the rare book.

GrandPre on the New Sorcerer's Stone Cover and More

We recently told you about the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone anniversary issue that Scholastic is planning to publish in September of this year. Now Time Magazine has had the chance to speak with the US book cover artist Mary GrandPre about the cover.

What was it like to go back and draw Harry as an 11-year-old [for the upcoming anniversary edition] now that his story has finished unfolding?

It was really a nice opportunity. As Harry grew, I always wished I could go back and make a new piece for each book. So when the anniversary cover idea came up, I was really excited to do that. It's like getting to do a new portrait of this old soul you really know.

What did you try to do differently, given what you've learned about him as he traveled through the saga?

The first cover was a designed cover, with a certain trendy feel to it. As you got to know him, it was more about depicting Harry as a real person. By the fifth cover, I was more interested in Harry on an emotional, personal level rather than creating a graphically designed, compositionally correct cover. I tried to bring that emotional and personal feeling to this anniversary cover.

You can see the cover in our gallery here: Front; Back

You can also pre-order the book in our Harry Potter's Page Amazon store here!

Read the entire article here.

Sorcerer's Stone Special Anniversary Book in September

Scholastic have posted a press release stating that they are publishing a special anniversary edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone to be released on September 23, 2008.

The book will include new cover art and a four-color frontispiece by Mary GrandPr� and bonus material from J.K. Rowling. The suggested price is $30.

You can see the covers in our gallery here: front, back.

Scholastic also have an interactive program with the new cover art on their site here.

Philosopher's Stone Added to UK A-Levels

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone has been added to the UK's A-Level as a 'set text' exams by the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA), the UK's largest exam board.

Some education experts, however, are afraid that adding the first Harry Potter book to the exams will lose some of the A-Level's credibility because they feel that the book has not yet withstood the 'test of time'.

For the exam, students will have to study the book and write 1,200 to 1,500-word piece of coursework comparing the "approaches" of J.K. Rowling and the other writers.

For those of you unfamiliar with A-Levels, they are exams taken by students in the UK, usually in years 12 and 13, and is a General Certificate of Education qualification. It is accepted by some universities as an entrance exam.

Christie's International Raises 36,560 Pounds for HP Books

At a London sale, Christie's International raised 36,560 pounds ($73,000), with fees, for 20 lots of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books which included a rare first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. The book auction at Christie's South Kensington salesroom exceeded a low presale estimate of 20,000 pounds without fees.

There was concern about Christie's controls after the London-based auction house confirmed that it didn't check whether the first edition, which sold for 4,000 pounds including fees, might have been stolen. The label from the Northamptonshire Libraries & Information Services appears on the volume. Since the barcode was also on the book, Bloomberg News asked the library to run the barcode number through its database. This confirmed that the library had disposed the book in 1999.

You can read the entire article on Bloomberg News website here.

Thanks HPANA

Philosopher's Stone Best Book in the UK

A United Kingdom bookstore, Waterstone's, has named Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone the best book in the last 25 years, as it coincides with their 25th Anniversary!

Thanks to HarryLatino via Mugglenet!

Bloomsbury Turns 21, Publishes Special Edition of PS

British publisher of the Harry Potter books, Bloomsbury, is turning 21. In celebration, they are publishing many of their books in special edition paperbacks, including Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. The books are to include a short question and answer section with the authors, an introduction by fellow writers, and a reading guide. For Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Alexander McCall Smith will sing the praises of the first Harry Potter book. The article does not state what J. K. Rowling had to say, or what book she will be (or if she is) contributing to. The release happens this December!

Interview With Mary Grandpre, Harry Potter Artist

The artist of the Harry Potter books, Mary Grandpre, was in an interview in the "NWA World Traveller Magazine". She talks about her ideas for her sketches of the Harry Potter world and about ehr one meeting with JK Rowling.

Here's a quote:

Have you met J.K Rowling?

We met once in Chicago, and she said that my interpretations of Harry and the other characters were a lot like her initial sketches . . . . That was a really good thing to hear because it told me we were on the same track.

And a scan.

(By the way...my head is doing fine!)

Thanks to The Snitch!