when Nigel Newton was brought in; Founder of Bloomsbury Publishing, brought home a manuscript of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by then unknown J.K. Rowling, described by his daughter Alice as “probably one of the best books an eight- or nine-year-old could read.” .Sorry, the video player could not load the file.
Now, twenty-five years later, the novel has become one of the best-selling novels of all time, capturing the hearts and imaginations of children around the world.
“I gave it to Alice, who took him upstairs,” Newton told Reuters. “At that point we had the story chapters up to Diagon Lane.”
He added that she came down about an hour later, saying, “Dad, this book is better than anything you’ve shown me.”
Sunday marks the 25th anniversary of the publication of Rowling’s first book on the Wizarding World.
Rowling faced refusal until Bloomsbury accepted her work with a down payment of £2,500. Her story was a huge hit all over the world and spanned a whole series of blockbuster books and movies.
“Did we know it would sell over 500 million copies by summer 2022? No, but we knew it was a great book,” Newton said.
Children have been queuing for hours in front of bookshops waiting for the latest stages of Harry’s adventures, which culminated in the final part “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” in 2007.
The novels have helped some, such as Jacqueline Hulbert, now 23, enjoy reading.
“It was an extraordinary phenomenon,” said Hulbert. “It was unlike anything I had tried to read before because the story was so captivating that I wanted to keep trying
=
