Bloomsbury Teams Up with the British Library for “Potter” Exhibition

by · August 8, 2016

Bloomsbury UK is gearing up for a big year – with the 20th anniversary celebrations of the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone looming. The anniversary of the first Harry Potter book will be celebrated on June 26, 2017, and in order to celebrate the date, Bloomsbury is planning several special occasions.

Bloomsbury revealed its 20th anniversary publishing schedule earlier this year, but the publisher has confirmed that the special House editions of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone will

feature the [H]ouse shield illustrated on the jacket, [custom] extra content and stunning sprayed edges in [H]ouse colours.

Slytherin Edition   Gryffindor Edition   Ravenclaw Edition   Hufflepuff Edition

Today, Bloomsbury has also announced that it will be teaming up with the British Library for a very special Harry Potter exhibition. The exhibition will open on October 20, 2017, and

will take readers on a spellbinding journey to the heart of the Harry Potter stories. The exhibition will showcase the history of magic across the world, using an extraordinary range of wizarding books, manuscripts and objects, and combine fascinating treasures from the British Library’s collections  with previously-unseen [sic] material from the Bloomsbury and J.K. Rowling archives.

It will be the first exhibition at the British Library to feature a series of books by a single living author.

Rebecca McNally, the Publishing Director at Bloomsbury Children’s Books, said,

The British Library is a magical place for book lovers. They are the perfect partners for a once-in-a-lifetime exhibition exploring a once-in-a-lifetime cultural phenomenon, a thrilling celebration of magic and imagination with Harry Potter at its heart.

You can find out more about the exhibition, which will run until February 28, 2018, here. More information about the exhibition will be released early 2017, and tickets will be available to book from spring 2017.

Are you looking forward to this very special Harry Potter exhibition? Will you be booking your tickets? Let us know in the comments!

Press Release

BRITISH LIBRARY EXHIBITION TO BE PART OF BLOOMSBURY’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS OF HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONE

Monday 26th June 2017 will be a momentous day for Harry Potter fans. It marks the 20th anniversary of publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, and Bloomsbury today announced exciting plans to celebrate twenty years of Harry Potter magic.

From an idea born on a train journey to its creation in a small cafe in Edinburgh, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is the book that started a global phenomenon.  Starting with an initial hardback print run of  just 500 copies the series has now gone on to sell over 450 million copies worldwide in 79 different languages, inspire a major movie franchise, a spellbinding theatre production and so much more. It is the book that put Harry Potter’s destiny in motion and created a whole new generation of readers.

Bloomsbury Publishing will celebrate this milestone moment with a year-long campaign, including special anniversary publishing and new projects with key partners.

To mark the magical anniversary and share the excitement with fans old and new, Bloomsbury will publish four ‘Hogwarts House Editions’ of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin.  Each edition will feature the house shield illustrated on the jacket, bespoke extra content and stunning sprayed edges in house colours.

Further celebrations are marked by a major partnership between Bloomsbury and the British Library. The British Library will curate and launch a brand new exhibition about the magic of Harry Potter, inspired by J.K. Rowling’s modern masterpiece and opening 20th October 2017. This will be the first British Library exhibition inspired by a single series of books by a living author. From medieval descriptions of dragons and griffins, to the origins of the Philosopher’s Stone, the exhibition will take readers on a spellbinding journey to the heart of the Harry Potter stories. The exhibition will showcase the history of magic across the world, using an extraordinary range of wizarding books, manuscripts and objects, and combine fascinating treasures from the British Library’s collections   with previously-unseen material from the Bloomsbury and J.K. Rowling archives.

Jamie Andrews, Head of Culture and Learning at the British Library, said: ‘The British Library is delighted to be working with Bloomsbury and with J.K. Rowling to mark the twentieth anniversary of Harry Potter, and to inspire fans with the magic of our own British Library collections.’

Rebecca McNally, Publishing Director and Editor-in-Chief of Bloomsbury Children’s Books said: ‘The British Library is a magical place for book lovers. They are the perfect partners for a once-in-a-lifetime exhibition exploring a once-in-a-lifetime cultural phenomenon, a thrilling celebration of magic and imagination with Harry Potter at its heart.’

Bloomsbury will be working closely with key partners throughout 2017 to make sure Harry Potter fans old and new can be part of the celebrations. There will be exclusive events and major competitions to mark this magical moment. More news on the exciting plans will be announced later in the year.