J.K. Rowling Reveals the Origins of Quidditch in Unique Annotated First Edition to Be Auctioned for Charity

Posted on May 18, 2013

J.K. Rowling has contributed a signed, annotated first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone to be auctioned off at Sotheby's on May 21st to benefit the charity English PEN. The auction is called First Editions, Second Thoughts and it features first editions of interesting books with original commentary and 22 new ink drawings by the author.

Rowling has contributed a number of drawings showing how she first imagined the characters in the book to look like. She also gives insight on how she created many things in the books, such as the game of Quidditch. About Quidditch she says, "[Quidditch] was invented in a small hotel in Manchester after a row with my then boyfriend. I had been pondering the things that hold a society together, cause it to congregate and signify its particular character and knew I needed a sport. It infuriates men...which is quite satisfying given my state of mind when I invented it."

On another page in the book Rowling writes, "I wrote the book in snatched hours, in clattering cafes and or the dead of night. For me, the whole story of how I wrote Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is written invisibly on every page and legible only to me." There are 43 pages in the book with new annotations.

Other authors who contributed to the auction include Margaret Atwood, Julian Barnes, Alan Bennett, William Boyd, Margaret Drabble, Helen Fielding, Nadine Gordimer, David Hare, Seamus Heaney and Kazuo Ishiguro, You can see the Sotheby's listing here.

Photo: Sotheby's