Secrecy, stunts and subterfuge: publishers and collaborators reveal the magic that went into creating a children’s classic 25 years ago
e’ll be famous – a legend – every child in our world will know his name.” So predicts Professor McGonagall in the opening chapter of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Breaking sales records from the beginning, Harry Potter is the biggest success in children’s publishing history, making its author,, one of the most famous writers in the world.
I wanted to change the title because I thought it was a bit of a mouthful. But Jo said children love unfamiliar words, so, like all good publishers, I gave way to my author. I did cut a couple of chapters. Thomas Taylor’s original 1997 cover, and, below, some of the many editions of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.I got a phone call from Barry Cunningham while I was in the children’s bookshop in Norwich where I worked after finishing art school. He said he liked my drawings, would I like to do a book cover. I was 22 or 23.
There were loads of good books around at the time, but things were a bit gritty and grisly. When I read Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, I remember thinking: “Ah, this is a breath of fresh air.” I wrote theas part of a roundup for the Scotsman, only about 80 words. We were lucky to get space for children’s book reviews at all at that time. Fortunately I liked it. It said something like: “This has all the signs of a classic of the future.” Thank goodness.The reviews were stunning.