ROWLING (J.K.) Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, FIRST ADULT EDITION, FIRST IMPRESSION, INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR 'To Hilary - This is the first adult copy I've ever signed! J.K. Rowling, and first edition!' (with an arrow pointing from the number sequence to this note) on dedication leaf, publisher's pictorial wrappers, 8vo, Bloomsbury, [1998] Footnotes: 'THIS IS THE FIRST ADULT COPY I'VE EVER SIGNED! J.K. ROWLING' - An important inscribed copy of the first 'Adult' edition of a Harry Potter title. Accepted for publication by Bloomsbury Children's Books, Rowling's work was initially marketed 'for eight-to-twelve year-old children, with no attempt to attract a crossover audience... When it soared to the top of the adult bestseller lists, Bloomsbury did not delay in getting out an edition for this unexpected market' (Sandra L. Beckett, Crossover Fiction: Global and Historical Perspectives, 2009). Such was the success of this strategy that by 2001 the industry analysts Book Marketing recorded that almost fifty percent of the Harry Potter buyers were adults. Provenance: Hilary Evens, aunt of Bryony Evens (see previous lots), similarly inscribed at the Cheltenham Literary Festival in 1998. This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: • • Zero rated for VAT, no VAT will be added to the Hammer Price or the Buyer's Premium. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com