Bloomsbury has unveiled a new look inside the upcoming Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone Illustrated Edition.
A brief catch-up: Potter publishers Bloomsbury and Scholastic are teaming up to release the first-ever series of illustrated Harry Potter books. The new editions will add boatloads of imagery by Jim Kay to J.K. Rowling’s series, which has never been illustrated until now.
The plan is to release one book every year, and Sorcerer’s/Philosopher’s Stone arrives in less than a month (October 6). In a recent preview Bloomsbury unveiled several pages from within the U.K. version of the book, and the artwork is beautiful!
While we’ve seen most of these illustrations before, today we’re getting our first high-res glimpse at how the art will be meshed with Rowling’s words. Many of the illustrations take up entire pages, with some even taking up two pages (like the below preview of Hagrid’s Hut).
The beginning of the chapters are marked by vibrant imagery, if the “Quidditch” and “Keeper of the Keys” chapter headers are of any indication.
Remember when Mary GrandPre’s chapter artwork in the U.S. Potter books were exciting to see for the first time? These new previews feel similar.
In related news, BuzzFeed today unveiled two new pieces of art by Jim Kay for the Illustrated Editions. The first is a simple but striking piece of art depicting Hagrid flying through the sky. The second is a sketch of Harry Potter.
The first Harry Potter Illustrated Edition hits store shelves on October 6. You can pre-order on Amazon now for $22.44.
Do you plan to purchase the first Illustrated Edition?
Thanks to Shauki for the tip!
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