The book’s printing number is the most valuable key to identifying a collectible book. everyone who is thinking of collecting books should know how to interpret this number. it is located at the bottom of the publisher’s page, which is located just before the title page in most books. the first set of numbers in the line indicates the printing number of that particular book, which is indicated by the lowest number in the set. the second set of numbers indicates what year the book was published, again indicated by the lowest number in the set. therefore, the number line
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0/0 01 02 03
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indicates a first printed printing in 2000. (This would be found in a US Goblet of Fire 1/1 (first edition/first printing), for example). The British editions of Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix use the term “first edition” on the publisher’s page to indicate 1/1 copies.
There is also a condition known as status, where something about the book or jacket was changed during a print run. to be a true first edition, a book must be first edition/first printing and (if applicable) first condition.
us trade editions. uu.
one of the easiest games to collect are the usa trade editions. uu. By “commercial edition” we mean those books intended for mass distribution in the United States. this also refers to books that include the indication “first edition” on the publisher’s page (the page with all the printing information and numbers).
First, let’s look at hardcover books. The first thing to know about American books is that, as of this moment, they all say “first edition” on the publisher (or copyright) page in front of the title page. In addition, the United States printed more books in each print run than the United Kingdom. therefore, almost the only editions with any financial value are first editions and signed editions. [The exception to this is Philosopher’s Stone, which had a small initial print run of 30,000. first printings are worth $500 to $2,500, and first printings of this book are worth some value (starting around $50).]
The really cool thing about the US editions is that you can collect a great set of books that includes an early copy of Philosopher’s Stone and 1/1 copies of all the other books for around $350, if you shop carefully. although their value should increase, they will probably never be tremendously valuable. there were simply too many forms. However, they are affordable and make a wonderful gift for yourself or a special Harry Potter fan. you can own or give away a piece of literary history without making a huge investment.
Please take a moment to note that any hardcover harry potter book from the usa. uu. that only has blackboards and no diamond imprints (“blackboards” are made up of the front and back of the hard covers and the spine) is a book club copy, and is not as valuable as those books with corresponding two-color boards with diamond design. Similarly, any American dust jacket that does not have an embossed foil covering the “Harry Potter” section of the book’s title belongs in a book club book.
Philosopher’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets were the only US editions to have multiple states on first printing. the philosopher’s stone has two states of 1/1. The first printed books had a review from a British publication, The Guardian, on the back of the dust jacket. although there are other differences, this quote alone will distinguish the first state. The second state has a review from an American publication, Publisher’s Weekly. the book behind any of these dust jackets would not have the number 1 on the spine. if you have the number 1 present, someone has put a newer book inside an older dust jacket. the first estate is considerably more valuable than the second estate. the first condition in good condition usually costs more than $1,500. the second state in similar condition costs $500 and up. the united states chamber of secrets had three states on 1/1. the first state does not have the number 2 on the spine or on the dust jacket. the second statement introduces the number 2 on the dust jacket and spine, and the third statement shows a price increase from $17.95 to $19.95 on the dust jacket. always check both the book and the dust jacket! it is possible that someone has placed the dust jacket of a valuable book around one that is not worth as much. the first state of this book is much more collectible than any of the other states.
according to the back of the advanced readers copy of philosopher’s stone, a total of only 30,000 1/1 copies were printed. we have no information on how many there were in each state, but the first state is more desirable and appears to be much rarer. A total of 250,000 1/1 copies of Chamber of Secrets were printed. we have no information on how many there were in each state, but again, the first state is much more desirable. There were 500,000 1/1 copies of Prisoner of Azkaban, 1,000,000 1/1 copies of Goblet of Fire, and over 6,000,000 1/1 copies of Order of the Phoenix.
Now, a few thoughts on American paperbacks. There are now various editions of the paperback books. The first edition has Mary Grandpré’s artwork on the cover and is a large, child-friendly size. They currently have no extraordinary value other than providing the pleasure of owning a set of 1/1 Harry Potter books. you can usually get a full set of 1/1 paperback editions for less than $150 if you shop carefully.
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uk trade editions
If your thirst for collecting is not quenched by the American editions, many countries publish their own editions of the Harry Potter books (Canada, Australia, Spain, Japan, Russia, Wales, etc.). However, unsurprisingly, the crown jewels reside in the UK. these books are more expensive than their American counterparts. not only are they from the “country of origin”, but they are also much rarer than their American cousins. Consequently, UK first editions are very expensive. 1/1 copies of the first three books can cost anywhere from $800 to over $15,000 (in the case of the ultra rare Philosopher’s Stone). however, Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix can be found for $50 and $35, respectively. There are also “children’s” and “adult” copies of these books. the covers are the only difference, and children’s copies are generally more collectible. for that reason, we will discuss them below.
the british version of a “book club edition” is the “ted clever edition”. Although these books have some value, they are not as valuable as true trade editions. they are identified on the publisher’s page as, “printed for the people of the book.” In addition, the dust jacket of a “Ted Smart Edition” may have ordering information on the back cover. similarly “large print editions” were printed for libraries and are not as valuable as trade editions. Many vendors sell Ted Smart and Large Print Editions without clearly identifying them as the least valuable volumes, so be sure to get clarification from them if you have any questions. they are easily spotted, as the words “large print edition” appear in the black band at the bottom of the cover. Please be careful when buying and make sure you get the edition you want.
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unlike the us trade editions. In the US, there is currently only a UK retail edition that has multiple states. prisoner of azkaban 1/1 has three states. The first state listed the copyright to Joanne Rowling, rather than J.K. paddling there is also discarded text in this state, but only copyright will indicate that it is a first state. The Second Estate Corrects Copyright to J.K. rowling, lists clays st. ives like the printer, and has no ads on the back. the third estate does not mention a printer and has advertisements in the back of the book. there is a big difference in value between these states. in good condition, the first state usually costs more than $1,500. the second and third states in similar conditions bring from $150 to $500.
goblet of fire 1/1 is often advertised as a first state and errors are cited within the pages. (eg “james comes out of harry’s wand first, followed by lily”). Actually, these errors existed for the entire first printing and there is only one state in this book.
1/1 Philosopher’s Stone is very rare. 200 paperbacks and 300 hardcovers were printed at the same time. they are very expensive ($4,000 and up depending on condition). they were issued without dust jacket. first prints can be had for $400 and up depending on condition and print number. the third printing was historically significant as the first printing to include a dust jacket. To our knowledge, there were 10,150 1/1 copies of Chamber of Secrets, 10,000 1/1 copies of Prisoner of Azkaban (500 of them were First Estate), and 1,000,000 1/1 copies of Goblet of Fire. Around 1/3 of the UK’s Goblet of Fire books were printed at Omnia Books in Scotland. the rest were printed by clays of london, which is the printer of all other uk editions. omnia copies may be a bit more valuable since there are fewer of them. We have not confirmed the information about the number of copies in the two versions 1/1 of the uk trade order of the phoenix, but we can safely say that it exceeded one million copies. the same is true if the number of copies in the two 1/1 versions of the uk commercial Half-Blood Prince.
collecting 1/1 copies of uk paperbacks are a good alternative to their very expensive hardback cousins. There are now various editions of the paperback books. the first editions were printed between 1997 and 2003 and are the most collectible. they cost between $20 and $200 each, with the first few books being the most expensive. the paperback 1/1 philosopher’s stone is out of reach for most of us. it was released at the same time as the hardcover edition and there were only 200 copies in first printing. however, with careful shopping, a good early edition can be had for $500-$3,000, depending on condition.
Another great option for the collector who wants to own British first edition books is to buy ex-library copies. These are books that once resided in libraries or school libraries in the UK. after leaving service, they are sold at library sales or removed while libraries are being upgraded. They are usually a little worn, but they are quite affordable and show up on ebay from time to time. a mugglenet staffer was able to buy two uk paperbacks, an early philosopher’s stone and a chamber of secrets first impression signed by jkr, from a gentleman who helped clean a school library for $200. they came with stickers that certify that they are “signed by the author”. Many of the UK’s early potters’ books found their way into libraries. It is part of the Harry Potter story. So if you’re looking for affordable collectible books, check out Library Books and see if they’re for you. be sure to also look for the stamp that says the book was properly withdrawn from circulation.
The celebration editions (which were released with each film) have foil stars on their covers. they are less valuable but make a good set. you should be able to find them for around $10.00 each. the second editions were all published in 2004 and feature new cover designs. You should be able to pick up the complete 1/1 book set for $50 to $80. First-edition trade paperbacks are worth more than their American counterparts, since far fewer were ever printed. the celebration and second editions currently have no extraordinary value other than providing the pleasure of owning a 1/1 game.
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collection and deluxe editions
Collector’s Editions of all the Harry Potter books are available in both the US and UK.
the uk deluxe editions are gorgeous and make wonderful gifts at reasonable prices for fans. They are bound in cloth cartons with the UK book cover in the center of the front cover. They also feature j.k. Rowling’s signature in gold, gilt-edged pages, and a sewn-on silk bookmark. 1/1 copies of these books are quite rare and range in price from $65 to $1,500. Prisoner of Azkaban is especially rare and is usually priced between $1,500 and $2,000. only 7,000 copies were printed. 12,000 copies of Philosopher’s Stone 1/1 and 17,000 of Chamber of Secrets 1/1 were printed. As with the trade editions, significantly more 1/1 copies of Goblet of Fire (30,000 to 35,000) and Order of the Phoenix were printed, making them significantly less valuable. The term “first edition” is used on the publisher page of both Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix to indicate a true first edition. misinformation about these print issues was widely circulated among booksellers. incorrectly identified these books as rarer than they really are. make sure you know that the higher numbers listed here come from the publisher, bloomsbury books, and must be accurate.
subsequent prints typically run to £10.
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USA collector’s editions. uu. They are of a slightly lower quality than the UK versions. the philosopher’s stone and the secret chamber are made of pressed leather. Philosopher’s Stone has a great drawing of Harry by J.K. rowling on the book cover. 100,000 copies of each were printed, without a second print run. Although there were rumors that Scholastic planned to print Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire in successive Novembers, there has been no indication that they are following through on that plan. Furthermore, the US deluxe edition of Order of the Phoenix bears no resemblance to the collector’s editions. It’s not leather bound, but it does have a special dust jacket with more grandpré artwork (representing Grimmauld Place) and comes in a nice slipcase.
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advanced reading proofs and copies (arcs)
Proofs were sent to UK publishers and reviewers prior to the publication of the first three Harry Potter books. they contain numerous errors that were corrected before first printing and have publication information on the back cover. these proofs were very limited in number (approximately 50 to 200 copies) and many were damaged or thrown away. therefore, they are quite rare and quite valuable. A proof copy of Philosopher’s Stone in good condition will generally cost more than $6,000. The Chamber of Secrets will cost over $3,000, as will Prisoner of Azkaban. these books have paperbacks, but only the chamber of secrets featured a test dust jacket wrapped around it.
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See Also: 6 Books That Make Great Gifts for Prisoners – Soapboxie
The American equivalents of the demos are bows. they were also printed before the first three books. between 3,000 and 5,000 of each were printed, making them much rarer than any American trade edition. They typically cost between $200 and $1,000 each, depending on title and condition.
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signed copies
You should be very careful when you are about to buy signed books. if you have limited experience, seek help so you can purchase a true treasure that you will be happy with for years to come.
Since the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on July 21, 2007, all books signed by J.K. rowling at signing and special events has included a holographic sticker to authenticate the signature. this vital sticker proves the authenticity of a signed book, so make sure all supposedly signed books since include a holographic sticker. the stickers for each signature event have been slightly different to show that they are not fakes.
As for the books signed by the cast members of the film franchise, it doesn’t really add monetary value to the book itself. the only value is sentimental. the cast have been signing books at premieres and other events over the years, so they are not considered rare autographs. When buying a book that has been signed by the cast, be sure to authenticate the signature to make sure it’s not a forgery. as indicated with any j.k. rowling, be sure to do your research before you buy so you can have a real treasure.
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See Also: 6 Books That Make Great Gifts for Prisoners – Soapboxie