This exceptional signed first edition of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince—one of the rarest signed books in the original Harry Potter series—was given to Scottish photographer Douglas Robertson, who was commissioned by Bloomsbury to document the official midnight launch of the book at Edinburgh Castle. Robertson was the sole photographer granted exclusive access to the event.
While Robertson was the authorised photographer, his images were held privately by Bloomsbury and have never been published. Included with the book are six of these never-before-published photographs taken by Robertson at the launch, each hand-captioned and signed on the reverse. Also included is a signed letter in which Robertson reflects on his experience photographing the event, as well as his other encounters with J.K. Rowling.
Based in Edinburgh, Robertson has also served as the official photographer of the Edinburgh International Book Festival for many years. On 8 July 2004, he was commissioned by the University of Edinburgh to document the ceremony in which J.K. Rowling was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters degree for her contribution to literature.
The book is in near fine condition, with bumped spine ends and sharp corner tips. Inside clean, without inscriptions, stains or dog-ears. The first state dust jacket is in a fine condition, without fading or wear. Now protected by a removable Brodart transparent archival cover.
Accompanied by a Letter of Authenticity (LoA) from Adam Houston of The Harry Potter Specialist, the world's sole expert on J.K. Rowling’s signature. Also included is an informative collector’s card providing additional context. It is housed in a beautiful, custom-made half-leather clamshell box.
A spectacular discovery—an extraordinary and uniquely documented piece of Harry Potter history, pairing a very scarce Rowling signature with firsthand visual testimony from one of the most iconic book launches of our time.
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