Bloomsbury Announces Deluxe Edition of Illustrated “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”

While we all eagerly await the fully illustrated edition of the first Harry Potter book, set to be released in October, Bloomsbury has announced something exciting for collectors – there will be a deluxe edition of the book.

The Deluxe Illustrated Edition will go on sale a little after the regular edition, on November 5, 2015. From the press release:

The deluxe illustrated edition of J.K. Rowling’s timeless classic will feature an exclusive pull-out double gatefold of Diagon Alley; intricate foiled line art by Jim Kay on a real cloth cover and slipcase; gilt edges on premium grade paper; head and tail bands and two ribbon markers. It is the ultimate must-have edition for any fan, collector or bibliophile. This edition will be sold exclusively from the Bloomsbury.com website until March 2016 when it will be made available to retail outlets.

This special edition is an utterly enchanting feast of a book and something to treasure for a lifetime. Brimming with rich detail and humour, Jim Kay’s dazzling depiction of the wizarding world and much loved characters will captivate fans and new readers alike. In oil, pastel, pencil, watercolour, pixels and a myriad of other techniques, Jim Kay has created over 115 astonishing illustrations.

Here’s an image of what the Deluxe Illustrated Edition will look like:

And here’s the Diagon Alley image mentioned above (a larger version can be found here on Bloomsbury’s website):

There’s only one piece of bad news – this beautiful new edition will set you back £150. Still, doubtless many collectors will happily pay for owning such a gorgeous book. Will you be one of them? Let us know in the comments!