Why is Harry Potter first edition so expensive?

J. K. Rowling's debut was rejected by a dozen publishers before Bloomsbury printed just 500 hardback copies of "Harry Potter: The Philosopher's Stone" in 1997. Many ended up in public libraries, making it very difficult today to locate first edition copies for potential sale.

Is a first edition Harry Potter book worth anything?

The British editions are considered the true first editions. The first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone can be usually sold for a value of up to $20,000, and sometimes even more, depending on the uniqueness of the copy.

Why are first edition so expensive?

Number of books printed in the first print run

Another factor to consider is how many copies from the first print run were printed. Those which had a lower number of books in the initial print run will have fewer copies of the book in circulation, making them rarer and potentially more valuable.

Are first editions worth the money?

Generally speaking, a first edition of a book often will have significantly more value than subsequent editions, but that's not always true. There are a number of factors to consider, and in the case of some books, it's not necessary the first edition that has the most market value.

How many Harry Potter first editions are there?

True first editions of the first Harry Potter book (Philosopher's Stone) are scarce! There were only 500 hardback copies of the first edition published by Bloomsbury, and of these 300 copies were sold to libraries. The remaining 200 copies were used as review copies for media.

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How much is a 1997 Harry Potter book worth?

Only 500 were published and 300 went to libraries. The main characteristics of a 1997 first edition first printing are a print line that reads "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1" and the crediting of "Joanne Rowling" not J.K. Prices on AbeBooks vary from $40,000 to $55,000.

Which Harry Potter book is worth the most money?

A very rare edition of "The Philosopher's Stone" won by a competition winner sold for £8,000 at auction following a year of record sales for first edition copies.

What is the rare Harry Potter book?

Prisoner of Azkaban is especially rare and is usually priced between $1,500 and $2,000. There were only 7,000 copies printed. There were 12,000 copies of the 1/1 Philosopher's Stone and 17,000 of the 1/1 Chamber of Secrets printed.

How can I tell if my Harry Potter book is a first edition?

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.

How do I know if my Harry Potter book is worth a lot?

What was misprinted in the first edition of Harry Potter?

The words “1 wand” is listed twice on a list of required school supplies Harry must take with him to school. The mistake was corrected in later print runs.

How much is a Harry Potter first edition hardback worth?

In December 2021 a near pristine hardback first edition of Philosopher's Stone sold for $471,000 (£349,186) from a $70,000 estimate at Heritage Auctions in Dallas, USA. It's the highest price ever paid for the boy wizard's debut in any form and set a modern literature world record.

Which Harry Potter book has a misprint?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows misprint.

What is the weakest Harry Potter book?

Secrets is probably the least important book in the series over all. It's still a good book, but it suffers from a somewhat bland plot, as well as a large section of the book without Hermione.

Can you tell if a book is first edition by the ISBN number?

While the number line doesn't necessarily determine the edition, it will tell you how many times the book has been printed. If there's still a number one in the line, then it means it could be the first edition.

Do Harry Potter books still sell well?

Sales of Harry Potter books have magically soared this year, despite calls for a boycott of author JK Rowling over her views on transgender issues. Publisher Bloomsbury said sales of the immensely popular books about the world-famous young wizard had jumped 35 percent in the first half of 2022.

Which Harry Potter book sells for thousands?

A rare first edition Harry Potter book has sold for a world record £356,000 - the highest price ever achieved for a 20th century work of fiction. The 'mint' condition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was in the first run of 500 printed in 1997.

What is the spelling mistake in Harry Potter?

According to the Reuters report, the word 'philosopher's' was misspelled on the back cover of this particular copy and on the 53rd page of the book, the phrase “one wand” was repeated twice.

What is the difference between a first printing and a first edition?

A first edition is the first printing of a book. It's true that a first edition may have one or more printings and that a second edition will normally be noted only if there are actual changes, usually major, in the text. But for a collector, a first printing is the only true first edition.

What Harry Potter items are valuable?

How many people have bought the first Harry Potter book?

Having sold more than 600 million copies worldwide, Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling is the best-selling book series in history. The first novel in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, has sold in excess of 120 million copies, making it one of the best-selling books of all time.

How much did Harry Potter first edition sell for at auction?

Harry Potter First Edition Sells for $471,000, Sets Modern-Literature World Record. Dallas — A rare first edition of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone sold Thursday at Heritage Auctions for $471,000, the highest price ever paid for the boy wizard's debut in any form.

How much should I sell my Harry Potter books for?

Technically, all your Harry Potter books are worth something. However, the book's value will be determined by the print you have. For example, if you have one of the first printed issues, you could sell it for thousands of dollars. It is not surprising that some copies of Harry Potter books are worth $50,000.

What is the error on page 99 of Harry Potter first edition?

States first edition under publishing page It has a printing error on page 99. It states 'eleven owls' when in fact it should say 'ten owls' – Comes complete with the rare Bloomsbury release bag – not many of these around!