In honour of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s Canadian première of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Rare Books and Special Collections was delighted to create a display highlighting some of the unique and remarkable copies of the first Harry Potter story from its children’s literature collection. This four-case display was at the Orpheum Theatre for the three performances on July 21, July 22, and July 23, and now will be on exhibit in the Rare Books and Special Collections reading room until the end of August.
The display, which features signed first editions, special editions, illustration editions, and foreign language editions of this beloved book, also highlights some of the profound and surprising connections that Vancouver shares with the Harry Potter series. (Kidsbooks in Vancouver was the first bookstore in all of Canada to carry Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and hosted four legendary book release parties, while Raincoast Books in Vancouver published the Canadian editions of the Harry Potter series until 2010.)
You can visit the Harry Potter display at UBC Library’s Rare Books and Special Collections on the first floor of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre from through August 31, 2016, and can be viewed Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The exhibition is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact Rare Books and Special Collections at (604) 822-2521 or rare.books@ubc.ca.