Burbank Public Library offering digital copies of first ‘Harry Potter’ novel to recognize the book’s 20th anniversary
The Burbank Public Library is revisiting the novel that started a worldwide phenomenon.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of author J.K. Rowling’s novel “Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone,” unlimited downloads of the e-book will be available at local libraries until Sept. 10 through the Libby app.
Interested readers can download the novel with a library card and the Libby app, which was created by Overdrive, an e-book distribution company for libraries and schools.
“We love bringing this book to its fans,” said senior library assistant Joan Cappocchi. “No one will have to wait to read it.”
Pottermore Publishing, a global digital publisher of the Harry Potter series, facilitated the novel’s downloads to thousands of public libraries across the country.
“Pottermore Publishing is delighted to offer fans the chance to celebrate 20 years since the publication of ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’ via their local library,” Jennie McCann, publishing director at Pottermore Publishing, said in a statement.
“We have worked with digital library distributors across the U.S. to bring this to life and look forward to seeing the campaign unfold,” she added.
Last year, Rowling and fans recognized the 20th anniversary of the novel’s United Kingdom debut. The novel was released as “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” on June 26, 1997, by British publisher Bloomsbury.
American publishing company Scholastic debuted the book to U.S. readers on Sept. 1, 1998, with an alternate title.
No matter the name, the first Harry Potter book is the best seller of the seven-part series. “Sorcerer’s Stone” has sold more than 120 million copies worldwide.
Since the film adaption of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” premiered on Nov. 14, 2001, the Harry Potter franchise has generated more than $7 billion in box-office revenue.
With “Sorcerer’s Stone” being such a popular novel, demand to read it was anticipated to be high, Cappocchi said. Allowing every fan to download the book without waiting is “fantastic,” she said.
The Libby app can be downloaded from the iOS App Store, Google Play or Windows App Store.
michael.livingston@latimes.com
