Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – Signed on loosely inserted bookplate

First edition, first printing of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, with J.K. Rowling’s signature on an original Bloomsbury bookplate, loosely inserted. It was won in the week after the bookrelease by 9-year-old Will Matthews from Portswood, Southampton, in a competition to write a poem about which Hogwarts house he would like to be in. The competition was organized on June 21st, 2003, by October Books in Portswood, Southampton.

The prize, along with a scroll "from the Sorting Hat," was presented by the mayor in early July 2003 at the bookshop and was covered in the Southern Daily Echo newspaper. The bookplate was originally displayed in a frame in Matthews’ room for a couple of years before being stored inside the book.

Signed copies of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix are exceptionally scarce. This is primarily because Rowling was unable to hold signing events in 2003, as she had recently given birth. Instead of organizing signing events, her publisher, Bloomsbury, distributed a very limited number of signed bookplates to only a handful of carefully selected booksellers, such as WHSmith, for promotional purposes. Most of these bookplates were affixed to copies of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, making unused bookplates paired with the book—like this one—extremely rare.

Included is the original scroll that came with the prize and a scan of a highly detailed handwritten letter from Will Matthews, featuring the poem he wrote and other details about the competition. The scroll shows signs of use, both the book and the bookplate are in fine condition.

A truly remarkable collector’s item—this rare signed bookplate with the fifth installment of the Harry Potter series comes with well-documented provenance and an exceptional story. Comes with a letter of authenticity from Adam Houston of The Harry Potter Specialist, the world’s sole expert on J.K. Rowling’s signature, as well as an interesting collector’s card.

For storage and preservation, this lovely book with the signed bookplate is housed in a beautifully crafted, custom-made half-leather clamshell box.

If you want to learn more about signed editions of this title, read our article about signed copies of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix