Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – signed first edition, first printing

First edition, first printing of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, signed by J.K. Rowling on June 21, 2003, on the half-title page. This book was signed for the original owner a day after its release on June 20, 2003, at the Royal Albert Hall. This event was a special occasion attended by approximately 4,000 children, where J.K. Rowling read from the book and participated in a Q&A session chaired by Stephen Fry. The event was broadcast live on the BBC website, allowing fans worldwide to witness the highly anticipated release.

Despite the large audience, only a very small number of children were fortunate enough to have their books signed by Rowling outside the venue on the red carpet. Apart from a brief surprise visit to Waterstones in Edinburgh on the evening of the release, this was the only opportunity to obtain a signed copy. Rowling did not attend any other public signing events that year due to having recently given birth. Signed copies of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix are therefore among the hardest signed Harry Potter books to acquire.

In a long letter, the original owner, Rachel Dorothea Howe, recounts that her mother worked for BBC Radio at the time and that she was able to attend the event with her mother thanks to a press invitation. Regarding her encounter with Rowling, she writes in her letter:

"I was much more excited to get to speak to her than to get my book signed. I had some complicated questions I’d wanted to ask her about wizarding love, but in the moment, they escaped me, and instead, I overexcitedly told her that I loved her books. She twinkled at me as she signed my copy of Order of the Phoenix and said, 'Then I love you!'"

She also mentions that, following the event, she and her mother went to the studio of the renowned Judy and Richard Show, where she and several other children were interviewed about the book.

Rachel was nine years old at the time of the book's release and had no awareness of the future value of her signed copy. As a passionate reader, she read it so extensively that the cover became heavily worn. Due to the extreme rarity of authentically signed copies of this title, Europe’s leading paper expert replaced the cover and endpapers with ones lifted from another first edition to preserve the book for future generations. This was carried out with such exceptional skill that no bookbinder or other expert will be able to find any visible trace or proof of the process. It has been officially documented in a statement of our bookstore and in the accompanying 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 details.

The book is now in near-fine condition, with a small spot on the signed page and a few small spots on the book edge The pages are, as usual, slightly tanned. The dust jacket is in fine condition, without fading or wear. It is housed in a beautiful custom-made half-leather clamshell box. A truly exceptional opportunity to acquire one of the rarest signed Harry Potter books at a reasonable price.