Scholastic Releases Exclusive Images from Upcoming Illustrated Edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Artwork by Award-Winning Artist Jim Kay

New York, NY – January 13, 2015 – Scholastic (NASDAQ: SCHL), the global children's publishing, education and media company, today released four exclusive new images from the eagerly anticipated fully illustrated edition of J.K. Rowling’s bestselling Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Bloomsbury UK also revealed the images simultaneously.

Illustrated by Kate Greenaway Medal winner Jim Kay, the images show four major characters from the Harry Potter books—Rubeus Hagrid, Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy and Ron Weasley—and are available for download at http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/harrypotter. (Credit: Illustrations by Jim Kay © 2014 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.)

Published globally on October 6, 2015, the deluxe hardcover edition will be full color throughout and will include an elegant ribbon marker and illustrated endpapers. This will be the first time that a fully illustrated Harry Potter book has been published. Many of the original Harry Potter publishers around the globe will be joining the US and the UK in bringing this illustrated edition to life and it is set to be the landmark publishing event of 2015.

“To be given the opportunity to design the characters, the clothing, the architecture and landscapes to possibly the most expansive fantasy world in children's literature, well let’s just say I'm extremely excited about it,” said Kay. “The story is everything, and so I want to bring what I can to really show the depth of Rowling's stories, to their best.” Over 450 million copies of the Harry Potter books have sold worldwide and the series continues to appear on bestseller lists in the U.S. Scholastic plans to publish fully illustrated editions—one per year—of each of the seven Harry Potter books.

A short Q&A with Jim Kay is available on request.

For information on the US edition, please contact: Kris Moran – kmoran@scholastic.com – (203) 818-9204

For information on the UK edition, please contact: Ian Lamb – ian.lamb@bloomsbury.com – +44 (0)20 7631 5726

About Jim Kay

Jim Kay won the Kate Greenaway Medal in 2012 for his illustrations in A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. Jim studied illustration at the University of Westminster and since graduating has worked in the Archives of Tate Britain and the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. Jim has produced concept work for television and contributed to a group exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. He now lives and works in Northamptonshire, England, with his partner and a rescued greyhound.

About Scholastic

Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books and a leader in educational technology and related services and children's media. Scholastic creates quality books and ebooks, print and technology-based learning materials and programs, magazines, multi-media and other products that help children learn both at school and at home. The Company distributes its products and services worldwide through a variety of channels, including school-based book clubs and book fairs, retail stores, schools, libraries, on-air, and online at www.scholastic.com.