Harry Potter all set to cast a new spell

The boy wizard and his magical world are ready to make a comeback for his first year in Hogwarts. Bloomsbury is releasing in illustrated colour editions Harry Potter and Philosopher’s Stone, the book that opened the gates to the wizard world and the adventures of three friends, on Tuesday. 

The illustrations done by artist Jim Kay have already become a talking point among Harry Potter fans. The book, to be available in the market from October 6, is already available on Amazon.in for Rs 1,999. For now, Amazon.in is selling the book at a discounted price.

The gripping illustrations are believed to enhance the reading experience alike for children and adults around the globe. The book, first released in 1996, had taken some time to become popular. However, the next six books in the series rode on the first one’s fame and became popular even before their release.

To date, around 450 million copies of Harry Potter books have been sold, and these have been translated into 78 different languages. What is more interesting is that all seven books of the series have been bestsellers, making it more challenging for the new illustrated copy to live up to the success of the franchise. 

The success riding on the Harry Potter name is what scared Jim Kay when he was picturing the loved fantasy series, he says. “The story is everything, and so I want to bring what I can to really show the depth of (J K) Rowling’s stories, to their best,” says Kay. He is hopeful of a good reception to the book and wishes to keep the spell going by adding his own little twists. 

The illustrations that have been revealed so far look breathtaking. Images of Hagrid, Dumbledore, Harry and Hagrid’s hut all draw special attention of readers.