Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. (Signed edition for Black Saturday bushfire survivors)

London : Bloomsbury, 2001 (reprint). Octavo, gilt-lettered wrappers (rubbed, light handling creases, spine cracked); pp. 223; entirely clean and unmarked internally, a very good copy.

Signed edition for Black Saturday bushfire survivors, signed by J. K. Rowling on an Allen & Unwin publisher’s label affixed to the half-title, with hologram J. K. Rowling authenticity sticker, and printed message from the author on a sticker inside the upper wrapper:

‘Like millions of people across the world, I was shocked and deeply saddened by the news of the bush fires that have caused so much devastation and loss of life in Australia. My thoughts were, particularly, with the children and teenagers who have so suddenly and brutally lost their homes and possessions, and who must have known such fear and disorientation in the aftermath of this disaster.

With the support of my wonderful Australian publishers, Allen & Unwin, I am delighted to help donate Harry Potter books to replace at least some of those which were burned, along with some signed bookplates, so that readers who enjoy regular trips to Hogwarts can continue visiting. There is always a space in Gryffindor Tower for people who triumph – even if not quite unscathed – over adversity!

With my love and best wishes,
J. K. Rowling’.

On 7 February 2009, a series of devastating bushfires caused catastrophic damage across the state of Victoria, resulting in 173 fatalities. As Rowling indicates in her message, she, like many others, was shocked by the devastation, and donated several hundred copies of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, some with signed bookplates, as part of the relief for bushfire victims.

This particular example was given to Australian author Ella Holcombe, who tragically lost both her parents, her home, and her family dog in the bushfire.

Ten years on from that unfathomably traumatic event, Ella wrote a children’s book about her experience, titled The House on the mountain, illustrated by David Cox. It was published in 2019 by Allen & Unwin, J. K. Rowling’s publisher in Australia. In the publisher’s words: ‘Atmospheric and intensely moving, The House on the Mountain is the story of a family experiencing a bushfire, its devastating aftermath, and the long process of healing and rebuilding’. The book was shortlisted for the Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature in 2020.

A copy of this extraordinary book, signed by Ella Holcombe, accompanies the signed Harry Potter volume.

Collections:

Another example of the Black Saturday relief edition is held in the Victorian Bushfires Collection of Museums Victoria, Melbourne

Provenance:

J. K. Rowling

gifted to Black Saturday bushfire survivor Ella Holcombe, 2009

acquired from the above, 2026