Is my Harry Potter book valuable? How to tell if your copy is a first edition

Is my Harry Potter book valuable? How to tell if your copy is a first edition

This comprehensive article will help you establish whether you have a first edition Harry Potter on your hands. If you do have a first edition and are interested in selling it, please contact us on our Sell To Us page.

J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series has gained immense popularity, critical acclaim and commercial success worldwide, and first editions of her books have very quickly become collectable. By far the most valuable book in the series is the first, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, published on 30 June 1997 by Bloomsbury in London.

But to have any real collectable value, it has to be a copy of the first edition, first impression (also known as the first printing). This means the very first batch of books off the press, of which there were only a few thousand.  Reprints of Philosopher’s Stone (and even first editions of the later books in the series) have much lower values, in part because so many more of them were printed.

Harry Potter first edition, softcover issue

First, what do the books look like? The first printing was bound in two different ways. The rarest is the hardback issue, with a cover of laminated boards. Only 500 copies were bound this way, and 300 of those were sent to libraries. Because library books receive so much wear and tear we are left with only 200 copies in potentially fine collectable condition, and these rarely appear on the market. The other binding was a regular paperback of which a few thousand copies were produced for sale.

Next , how do you tell whether your copy, which may look very similar to the one pictured above, is really a valuable first edition?

To be a first edition, in either hard or soft cover, there are four very important issue points, all of which your book must have:

1. The publisher must be listed as Bloomsbury at the bottom of the title page. See photo below:

2. The latest date listed in the copyright information must be 1997.

3. The print line on the copyright page must read “10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1”, ten down to one, exactly. The lowest figure in the print line indicates the printing. (For instance, if your copy has “20 19 18 17”, it’s a less valuable seventeenth printing.)

First edition number line.

You may have been told that you have a first printing if the copyright is in the name of “Joanne Rowling”, but that’s not true. All early printings of this title have the same copyright statement.

This is what the whole back of the title page should look like:

Back of title page in the first edition of Harry Potter.

4. On page 53, in the list of school supplies that Harry receives from Hogwarts, the item “1 wand” must appear twice, once at the beginning and once at the end. This mistake was corrected in the second printing of the book (although it re-appeared in some later printings).

Mistake on page 53.

5. On the back cover there is a missing “o” in “Philospher’s Stone”.

Philosopher’s spelled as Philospher’s with the missing “o”.

If your book meets all these requirements then congratulations, you have a first edition! Depending on the binding and condition, it could be worth anywhere from many hundreds to tens of thousands of pounds.  If you’re interested in selling it, or would like to have a custom protective box made to house it, then please contact us. To see the Harry Potter books we currently have for sale please click here.

Though both the paperback and hardback first editions of the Philosopher’s Stone are of value, this is not the case with the other books in the series. For the other titles, it is only the first hardback edition with the dust jacket that have collectable value. If you have a copy of one of these titles that meets all these requirements below, and that you would like to sell, please contact us.

Chamber of Secrets must have been published in 1998 by Bloomsbury with no mention of subsequent edition, publisher, or later date on the copyright page, and have a printing number sequence of “10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1”.

Chamber of Secrets first edition copyright page

Prisoner of Azkaban must have been published in 1999 by Bloomsbury with no mention of subsequent edition, publisher, or later date on the copyright page, and have a printing number sequence of “10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1”. The most valuable copies are the first issue, which must have “Joanne Rowling” as the author instead of “J. K. Rowling” on the copyright page, and a dropped line of text on page 7.

 

The last four titles in the series, Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince, and Deathly Hallows, must have the words “First Edition” printed on the copyright page. The print run for the first edition of all of the last four titles was very large, and as a result, even first edition copies in the dust jackets in fine condition are fairly commonly found, and not presently of high value. We are currently interested in acquiring signed copies only of these titles.

Goblet of Fire copyright page

Browse all currently-available Harry Potter books here.

Nicolas Bentley Drew the Authors

Nicolas Bentley Drew the Authors

Nicolas Bentley, one of the most prominent English illustrators of the mid-20th century, always considered himself to be an author rather than simply a cartoonist. His oeuvre, which includes several books and several hundred more cartoons and illustrations, has one common thread – the telling of stories.

“You ought to be used to walking home by now.” – The London bus strike continued for five weeks.

“You ought to be used to walking home by now.” – The London bus strike continued for five weeks.

Bentley was never a caustic satirist, rather the clean lines of his stark black ink drawings drew attention to the stories recognisable in everyday life: the funny, the sad and the ridiculous.

His celebrated contributions to Punch and later to Private Eye were prized for their accuracy, offsetting the more searing articles they accompanied, adding richness to the jokes with intricate narratives of their own.

“I don’t think I’ll bother to read it. I’ll wait and see the film.” – On 2 March 1960 the Guillebaud committee published its report on railway workers’ pay, recommending substantial pay increases.

“I don’t think I’ll bother to read it. I’ll wait and see the film.” – On 2 March 1960 the Guillebaud committee published its report on railway workers’ pay, recommending substantial pay increases.

For this lover of stories and one who with a rich literary heritage (his godfather was G. K. Chesterton and his father invented the clerihew), it is little wonder he found such a rich source of material in the illustration of authors, often seeming to enjoy the game of adding satirical flavour to his literary drawings.

A noticeably supercilious Lord Byron.

A noticeably supercilious Lord Byron.

In his various author illustrations, mostly produced throughout the 1960s to accompany book reviews in the Sunday Telegraph, Nicolas Bentley displays some of his most overt narrative sensibilities.

Notably his drawing of Byron published in the Sunday Telegraph in 1966 adapts Byron’s features to match his iconic status – adding a quiff and unmistakably Elvis-esque curl of the lip.

John Keats: the poet’s large eyes are touched in green.

John Keats: the poet’s large eyes are touched in green.

A portrait of John Keats in 1965 for the same paper shows the poet with his hand under his chin, with enormous green eyes gazing into some romantic distance – the perfect image of a 60s daydreaming adolescent.

Albert Einstein, George Bernard Shaw, Josef Goebbels and Arturo Toscanini in a wooden crib.

Albert Einstein, George Bernard Shaw, Josef Goebbels and Arturo Toscanini in a wooden crib.

He goes further into comic interpretation in other drawings, in which he has contrived a stand-alone narrative to complement the book review or article.

From the unusual grouping of Einstein, George Bernard Shaw, Joseph Goebbels and Arturo Toscanini as babies in a wooden crib (Goebels slashing the air with a cosh) to the more traditional comic framing of a fully grown Gustave Flaubert fleeing an old woman – his mother with whom he lived for most of his adult life.

The French novelist Gustave Flaubert, hat in hand, flees from a wailing old widow, presumably his mother with whom he lived most of his adult life.

The French novelist Gustave Flaubert, hat in hand, flees from a wailing old widow, presumably his mother with whom he lived most of his adult life.

In all of these drawings, Bentley’s tendency towards the narrative of the everyday is irresistible. He takes great writers – many of whom he would have respected and admired – and gives them qualities instantly relatable to the more mundane lives of his audience.

Sherlock Holmes, with magnifying glass, and Dr Watson investigate the mysterious rise of the young David Frost, host of That Was The Week That Was.

Sherlock Holmes, with magnifying glass, and Dr Watson investigate the mysterious rise of the young David Frost, host of That Was The Week That Was.

Through his pin-ups, moody adolescents, screaming babies and long-suffering mummy’s boys, this collection of Nicolas Bentley’s work gives us a picture not just of historical and literary figures as we never expected to see them, but they tell a story about the time his pictures were published. Like all great storytellers, Bentley had the power to show readers themselves, as well as the men and women in the pictures he drew.

Works from Bentley’s literary portrait collection.

“When you say he’s an unsuccessful author, you mean he wasn’t called to give evidence?” – Virtually every published novelist alive had been called to give evidence in the Lady Chatterley trial.

“When you say he’s an unsuccessful author, you mean he wasn’t called to give evidence?” – Virtually every published novelist alive had been called to give evidence in the Lady Chatterley trial.

Railway Series Update

Railway Series Update

Last week we posted about some Railway Series pre-cut models from the 1950s that we wanted to know more about, and reader Justin A. Olsen kindly replied:

I saw your page on the Railway Series Press-Out Models, and wanted to throw in my own comments.

These models were first published around 1957 by the same group who published the main books at the time (Edmund and Ward). Card modelling was quite popular at the time however most of these models (Micromodels, Modelcraft, etc.) were at smaller scales and tended to be complex. It seems the Railway Series engines were made to be built up by those with less experience, but the models’ artwork does look nice (I’ve considered building “Gordon” from the scans you showed).

Other engines that were available were Thomas (with coach Annie) and James. The ads always suggested other models were in preparation, but nothing else ever appeared. I would presume they stopped publishing these around the 1960’s or 1970’s once Awdry stopped making new books.

These models are very scarce, I’ve only seen one other example (Thomas) ever appear. Thanks for the scans you posted, I always wanted a go at building one of these models.

Thanks Justin! We’re still interested in purchasing the two models we don’t have yet, Thomas and  James, so if you have some you’d like to sell then do contact us by email or phone.

A Thomas the Tank Engine Mystery – Railway Series Pre-Cut Model Books

A Thomas the Tank Engine Mystery – Railway Series Pre-Cut Model Books

The Railway Series Pre-Cut Model Engine Book No. 2 - Percy with Clarabel the Coach.

The Railway Series Pre-Cut Model Engine Book No. 2 – Percy with Clarabel the Coach.

Update (14 May, 2012):  Reader Justin A. Olsen has kindly replied to our request for additional information on these models; you can read his comments here. We’re still interested in purchasing the two models we don’t have, Thomas and James, so please contact us if you have any you’re willing to part with.

Can you help? We recently acquired two lovely items from W. Awdry’s The Railway Series. These “Pre-Cut Model Engine Books” each contain a story and the parts and instructions for making two toys out of card. We have Number 2: Percy with Clarabel the Coach and Number 3: Gordon the Big Engine & His Tender (click to enlarge the images):

Percy Pre-Cut Model.

Percy Pre-Cut Model Instructions.

I believe these were produced in the late 1950s, as The Eight Famous Engines, the final story book listed on the back of each volume, was published in 1957. Four different titles in the pre-cut model series are described as being available (with more in production), and we would love to know more about these and possibly locate copies of the other two, Thomas the Tank Engine and James the Red Engine.

Please do get in touch if you know more about these sets and their sales records, and especially if you have copies to sell. You can leave a comment on this post or contact us by email or phone.

Below, a few more photos of the model books. If you have a good printer you could even construct them yourself!

Clarabel Pre-Cut Model.

Percy & Clarabel Story.

The Railway Series Pre-Cut Model Engine Book No.3 – Gordon the Big Engine & His Tender.

Gordon the Big Engine instructions.

Gordon the Big Engine pre-cut model.

Gordon the Big Engine’s tender pre-cut model.

Plasticine: Clean, Harmless and Ever Plastic

Plasticine: Clean, Harmless and Ever Plastic

 

Early ad for plasticine, 1899

Early ad for plasticine, 1899.

I found this ad in a copy of The Butterfly, a literary magazine published in London in March of 1899. This must be one of the very earliest ads for plasticine, which was invented in 1897 by an art instructor named William Harbutt. After teaching at the Royal College of Art he moved to Bath in 1874, where he founded his own academy, the Paragon School of Art. Harbutt noticed that many of his beginning students had difficulty using clay, which was heavy and often dried out before projects could be completed. In the search for a suitable alternative he began experimenting with different substances at home, involving the whole family and using a garden roller to squeeze excess water out of his concoctions. Harbutt perfected the formula in 1897 and began supplying it to his students, and then to other artists who heard of the material by word of mouth. But it was his grandchildren’s interest in the substance that convinced him he might have a successful toy in the making. The patent on plasticine was granted in 1899, so this must be one of the earliest ads for the new material, and I strongly suspect that the rather dour child in the photo is Harbutt’s grandson. Later Harbutt would hire the graphic designer John Hassell, who became famous for his commercial posters, to design colourful and eye-catching ads, as well as the plasticine packaging. Harbutt’s big break came when he was able to purchase an ad in a new publication called The Royal Magazine, which premiered in 1898. Unfortunately, I can’t determine whether that ad appeared before this one did. This ad is, in any case, a delightful bit of late-Victorian marketing, particularly the tagline “A capital present for any child either ‘Bright or Backward'”.

For further reading, the best place to go is probably the book companion to the BBC documentary series James May’s Toy Stories, which included an entire episode on plasticine. You can buy the book online, and the Google Books preview includes a number of the pages on the history of plasticine. As part of the documentary, May and a group of volunteers created a plasticine garden and entered it in the Chelsea Flower Show, which you can see here.

I did find an image of one other early ad for plasticine, though this one is much more sophisticated and probably several years later than ours. If you know of any others that have been digitised please do leave a comment!