Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: The Illustrated Edition (Harry Potter, Book 1)

I am a die hard Harry Potter fan and have been collecting the various editions of the series for many years now, a love I have passed on to my now ten-year-old daughter. When I saw this illustrated edition, my initial impression was that it was going to be a graphic novel, but it has exceeded all my expectations as this is the entire first novel (not abridged) with illustrations. How wonderful! Imagine a new generation of young fans being introduced to this stellar series that made readers out of legions of young readers? The possibilities are heartening indeed. The book is an over-sized hardcover with a lovely red satin ribbon page marker. The dimensions measure 10.9 x 9.7 x 1.2 inches. It is stated on one of the front pages that the paper is sourced from responsible sources. The book is then divided into seventeen chapters and each chapter is lushly illustrated with the beautiful illustrations of award-winning artist Jim Kay. The illustrations add a depth of aesthetic pleasure to the reading of this wonderful novel, and fans of Harry Potter will relish each illustration, big or small. There are full page depictions in sumptuous color, and smaller artistic depictions, as well as tiny accents that come together to tell this tale of the Boy Who Lived. There's Hagrid, rendered in watercolor, zooming on his motorbike, on his way to deposit the infant Harry at Privet Drive. Harry's cramped quarters in the cupboard under the stairs is dark and musty as I imagined it, with spiders and an abandoned teddy inhabiting the small space. There's touches of humor to the illustrations (let's face it, the story is amazing but in this edition, the illustrations are the highlight) - here's young Dudley on one page, facing a gorilla on the other page , that looks remarkably like Dudley, "except it wasn't blond." Diagon Alley is imagined in a creative manner with the buildings all assembled in a hodge-podge fashion, and in a chaotic, messy way, reflecting the wizards of many talents and persuasions that visit and do business there. Hogwarts Express is depicted in majestic fashion and quite took my breath away. This is a book that my daughter and I will peruse again and again and never tire of it. Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape get full-page treatments (I confess I would not have imagined McGonagall the way the artist depicted her). My one complaint? Hermione does not get much attention here, which annoyed us both as we are great fans of Ms. Granger. Oh well, they shall just have to remedy the situation and do much better in the next book :-) We for one, cannot wait!

Now, while this first book alone might be rightly criticized for a few specific shortcomings and I might have rated it four stars if that was the only thing I were judging... this Illustrated Edition is just stunning, absolutely gorgeous. The price point at which it is currently being sold is a great deal for what may as well be a combination of novel and Potter-themed Jim Kay artbook: the complete, unabridged text (which, except for the change of "Philosopher's Stone" to "Sorcerer's Stone," also presents American buyers with what is so far their only official means of purchasing the original British text without import or e-platform region-trickery) shares its page space here with a wealth of stunning illustrations; characters, scenes, locations, and imagery throughout the books faithfully brought to visual life with no loyalty paid by the illustrator whatsoever toward the established movie-based appearances of people, places, or characters, favoring instead fresh interpretations of the descriptions given of characters within the text itself. It is worth mentioning that though the illustrated Hagrid very closely resembles his film counterpart, his film counterpart already resembled his book description and Mary GrandPré's illustrations of him to a T as it was. Other characters such as Harry's friends or Severus Snape are far further from their film counterparts while still retaining loyalty to their book descriptions. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I thought Snape's appearance in the books couldn't be faithfully visualized in any way apart from the costume and hair stylings of Alan Rickman's portrayal until this book's ever-so-creepy version proved me wrong; and as for our young heroes, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, their illustrations pay more dues to their book-counterpart physical shortcomings than they film actors could be expected to, with Ron appearing much more freckly and gangly, and Hermione's bushy hair and larger-than-average teeth featuring more prominently (these were, after all, features of hers that were called into the direct spotlight when she found herself going to lengths to manage them in Goblet of Fire); similarly Dudley and the Dursleys are displayed with more focus on their amusing and sometimes morbid physical descriptions (Dudley's comparison to a "beach ball" as an infant is at once funnier and easier to take seriously as a problem when it's accompanied by pictures of a baby who has been allowed to grow THIS overweight). Other specific locations, objects, or setpieces are also shown here in stunning detail, with perhaps the only thing missing being a full and unimpeded view in the artwork of the villain unmasked. It is quite a dark image, though, and perhaps Jim Kay made the decision that the artwork should be kept to a low maximum of unsettling visuals in these early novels to respect the intended uphill tonal slope that the books ascended as they went. It is a pity, though; I'd looked forward to seeing that scene with a more book-loyal version of Voldemort implemented than the one in the film (book Voldemort, after all, is very close to the one portrayed in the second half of the film series; he does not have a properly human-looking face like the version shown in the first movie does), but we must satisfy ourselves with a teasing image of one of Voldemort's slitted, red snake-eyes peeking out through a plot spoiler. The frequency of illustrations will not disappoint. They occur every few pages at a minimum, often dominating entire pages or sharing page space in artful ways with the text formatting (this, I think, is the reason that the American version does not change the British text). The illustrations range from reasonably detailed and well-drawn to the kind of painstakingly beautiful work I'd like very much to frame massive prints of an create a personal art gallery for in my home. And no page in this book is ever left complete white, with even page-space not used by illustrations given an aesthetically-plasing background texture, the quality of the paper remaining sufficiently heavy-duty throughout, so that it is not unlike reading a copy of the Third Edition Dungeons & Dragons Player's Manual visually. The dust jacket bears the beautiful cover art of the Hogwarts Express puffing out smoke before a crowded train platform and the book itself a sturdy, red-bound volume with only shiny gold printing on the spine of the title, publisher, author, and illustrator to mar the outside with potential scratchables; the inner covers sport a detailed black-and-white view of the Hogwarts Castle exterior. It should be noted that this is quite a large book and I mean that in the most practical sense that it is physically taller and wider than all previous editions of Harry Potter that I know of. I've included a picture for size comparison with a hardback copy of Order of the Phoenix and a paperback copy of Sorcerer's Stone, both my own American printings. The book it also quite heavy. Between its weight, form factor, and the likelihood that one does NOT wish to damage this book, it is recommended for reading only at a table in one's room, and not outdoors, at the dinner table, or in any other situation where it might fall prey to either arm fatigue or an unfortunate spill. Treat this book with care, because it is a true collector's treat and deserves to remain on one's shelf for many years to come: it is the most luxurious way of reading this book that exists to date, and will remain so perhaps until such a time as a true Easton Press-tier, leather-bound edition of the franchise is produced, which may, for all I know, simply be an even more expensive version of this Illustrated Edition series when it does finally come to exist. The only other negative to mention is that since this is the British version of the text, the line about a black boy (taller than Ron) named Dean Thomas joining the Gryffindor table during the Sorting Ceremony has been omitted, a curious editing choice on the part of the British publishers that stands as the only instance where the U.S. text kept something that was changed in the original. Lest you get the wrong idea, this was probably a case of Bloomsbury trying to shave a few words off the total length of the book; Scholastic, masters of low-quality binding techniques passed down in their family for generations, were far more concerned with formatting pages to have fewer words and wider spacing to keep from scaring off children from reading it, and thus did not care about word count: a decision they perhaps came to regret when Order of the Phoenix made their formatting choices impractical. This is, by and large, the main reason why the American versions of the Harry Potter novels have so many more pages per book than their British counterparts. As of this writing, only the first two books in the series have been published as Illustrated Editions, with Book Three due for release in late 2018, almost two years yet to come. After thumbing through the pages and pages of fantastic art this edition is filled with, I can say with confidence that the wait between books for Illustrated Editions will be as well and truly worth it as when crowds of eager readers gathered outside of bookstores for release parties during Harry Potter's heyday ten years ago.

Beautiful illustrations! I initially found this book when I went to universal studios. The prices there were a lot higher than what they are on Amazon. Was hesitant on buying initially, since Jim Kay only illustrated 5 out of the 7 books (he stated he was unable to complete the last two). Eventually they found a illustrator to complete the last two books. After seeing a sneak peak of the new illustrators work and comparing it to Jim Kay's work, I decided to buy the books. I believe the 6th book is to be released sometime in November 2026.

This illustrated edition is absolutely gorgeous. The artwork inside is rich, detailed, and full of personality, which really brings the world of Harry Potter to life. It’s especially great for children—every page feels like an invitation to keep reading, and the visuals help younger readers stay engaged and understand what’s happening in the story. The book itself is high‑quality, with vibrant colors and sturdy pages that hold up well. If you’re introducing a child to the series, this is easily one of the best versions to start with.

The book itself and illustrations are absolutely, incredibly extraordinary. In that way, this is 100% a 10-STAR book and is absolutely to die for for Harry Potter fans. I was ravenous to get my hands on my copy as soon as it was delivered this morning, but was quickly disappointed. First, Amazon's packaging was utterly and despicably inadequate. (See Photo) My book was shipped in a box, with *no packing material* of any kind. At first glance, it seemed OK. But when I took a close look at my dust jacket, I was extremely upset to find that the gold foil lettering for "Harry Potter" had been rubbed away and destroyed completely in some places leaving ugly, black matte in its place-- pock marking the otherwise handsome gold lettering. Also, the matte-finish of the dust jacket had been rubbed so badly due to the bad packaging that it left scars and shiny markings where the matte finish was worn off. For an obvious gift/collectors item, this is absolutely unacceptable. I called Amazon and they didn't seem to "get" what my fuss was all about and just offered to ship a replacement which, undoubtedly, will be shipped in exactly the same way. Second, after I got over my initial outrage over the shipping/packaging. I sat down to enjoy the actual book itself, which as I said is absolutely extraordinary! I was extremely cautious handling the book and binding, being unsure how tolerant the binding is of weight. I carefully opened both the right and left sides of the binding and supported the weight of the opened cover using a small pillow. By the time I reached the back 3/4th of the book (on Professor McGonagall's full page illustration) the binding separated from the spine the very first time I turned the page. In other words, the binding fell apart during my very first pass through the book. (See Photo). Another thing that really drove me crazy was the way that the stitched in book mark was carelessly folded into the book. It left dents all over my pages (See Photo), which of course had to be on a full page illustration of Hagrid! Needless to say I'm in awe how Bloomsbury has managed to put together such an incredible project, with JK Rowling's remarkable literature and Jim Kay's otherworldly illustrations-- and allowed it to be put together in a low quality binding! I noticed that all of the previous Harry Potter books were printed and bound in USA (some in Mexico) but this book was printed and bound in China. I would like to hope that they would quality check a thing like this, but perhaps not. Either way, I am extremely disappointed in the quality/binding of my book. I would be interested to know if others are seeing the same thing. And please, Amazon, pack these books in bubble wrap and packing material! Not all alone in a box... Update (October 9th): I have finally received my new book and it was in much, much better condition. The cover and spine were tight, intact and falling apart from the binding like my original copy. Addtl photos to follow...

I am introducing my kids to this series for the first time with this illustrated masterpiece. It is lovely and perfect for kids who still want to see the pictures! 100% recommend.

Beautiful artwork and binding. Really pretty production. Got it as a gift for Harry Potter fan....they loved it!!

Great book. My kids love to read the book with the pictures.

Lo primero que llama la atención cuando llega el libro a casa es el tamaño, es literalmente enorme; me recuerda a los libros de fábulas que leía de pequeño en la cama. Las ilustraciones son maravillosas, los acabados perfectos, hasta el más mínimo detalle está pulido. Además, la calidad de las hojas y la cubierta es muy buena, es un libro hecho para durar (perfecto para niños o coleccionistas). Estoy encantado, sin palabras, nunca pensé que esta edición ilustrada me pudiese gustar tanto. La recomiendo y, de hecho, pienso regalarlo esta Navidad a un par de amigos y familiares que son seguidores de Harry Potter. Lo único que me parece una vergüenza es que la edición española cueste exactamente el doble que la inglesa. Los editores españoles... En fin...

Wonderful and very artistic.Must buy.

Every time we went to the library or went to a book store and saw this book, it was so beautiful that my daughters would always stop to look at it, so recently I bought this for my harry potter mad youngest's birthday. It is a gorgeous book- the unabridged original story with detailed illustrations on every page. It's so magical being able to see the characters described in the book really come alive, and in my youngest's opinion, every illustration looks "right" for their descriptions in the book. The illustrations sometimes span one page, two pages, or are just interwoven with the text seamlessly to make for a great reading experience. Since the pages are much bigger and words larger than a traditional novel, it also makes it less daunting and more readable for younger, perhaps more reluctant readers as well. Having read the original un-illustrated version, re-reading this again with the illustrations gives a whole new feeling to the story. Whether your a long-term fan, or new one, this is a great must-buy, definitely worth every penny in comparison to the non-illustrated version.

G: 7 years old: biggest bestest book I've read! Super perfect A: 7 years old: book is too beautiful and cool. I love it too much! Dad: nice to read again with cool pictures.

¡Me encanta!, te mantiene al filo del asiento. Solo esperas el momento de abrir de nuevo la app y leer un poco más. Las ilustraciones están fenomenales.