top of page

Bloomsbury Potter Books

Proofs

Proofs or proof copies are unpublished books that are produced before the actual finished product. Sometimes they are used for garnering praise, quotes about the work, and to help raise awareness of new books/authors (as in the case of Harry Potter). These are usually sent out to members of the press; some can be held for in-office use as well. Bloomsbury proof copies look very different than the published product. In incredibly rare instances, trial jackets were mailed along with the proofs. Philosopher's Stone trial jackets are the most coveted and are exceedingly rare. Chamber of Secrets trial jackets are also rare, but are the most common in the market; that said, I've seen 3 Chamber trial jackets, no Philosopher's Stone trial jackets, and 1 Azkaban trial jacket, so common is highly relative; each of the trial jackets are incredibly scarce. For more information about the Azkaban trial jacket, Click Here.

Proofs

Proof Copy, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

The Chamber of Secrets Proof copies are the only ones of the 4 produced to have the magic wand doodle at the top of the front cover. A handful of these proofs were released with trial jackets, which are quite different from the published cover. 

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Bloomsbury Uncorrected Proof Copy; Collecting Harry Potter Books
Proof copy, Harry Potte and the Chamber of Secretss
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Bloomsbury Proof Copy

Proof Copy, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

There are 2 variants of the Azkaban proof, a purple copy and a green copy. We don't know how many of each were issues as  those in the book trade have stated various numbers throughout the years. We do know, however, the purple came first and that there are 300 total Azkaban proofs between the purple and green copies. The purple also has rows of Xs near the back of the proof in place of letters, which may be a reason for the production of the green. While very, very rare, signed copies of proofs do exist.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Akaban, Bloomsbury Purple Uncorrected Proof Copy
Bloomsbury Proof Copy, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaan
Bloomsbury Purple Proof Copy, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Bloomsbury Proof Copy, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azakaban Green Proof Copy
Green Uncorrected Proof Copy Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Green Uncorrected Proof Copy Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Philosopher's Stone

1st Print, 1st Edition (Softcover)Philospher's Stone

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, 1st Print, 1st Edition     (1997)

Harry Potter 1st Print Philosopher's Stone Bloomsbury
1st Print Philosopher's Stone Bloomsbury
Harry Potter 1st Print Philosopher's Stone Bloomsbury
1st Print Harry Potter Philosopher's Stone Bloomsbury
Harry Potter 1st Print Philosopher's Stone Bloomsbury
Harry Potter 1st Print Philosopher's Stone Bloomsbury

* These pictures come from my Softcover 1st Print, 1st Edition Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone; Note: the Hardcover 1st Print, 1st Edition will look the EXACT same, just with hard boards and not soft wraps.

​

Of all the Harry Potter books published, this book is the one that will arguably fetch the highest prices at auction and  is so coveted by collectors, whether signed or unsigned. The hardcover format is the most desired as well as most rare between the hardcover and softcover.

 

If you're considering collecting Harry Potter books and/or wanting to purchase a 1st Print Philsopher's Stone, make sure your book meets ALL these points below; there are fake books about the marketplace as well as many who are confused between Ted Smart and Bloomsbury editions.

​

Additionally, there is a lot of misinformation about Harry Potter first prints, about how many books were printed, what features a true first should have, and many more.

For starters, the hardcover and softcover books were printed and published alongside each other, making both true first print/first editions and highly prized as a result. Hard and soft cover books are identical.
     Hardcover:
       *500 books printed, issued without jacket
       *300 of these were sent to libraries around the U.K.
       *200 of these were sent to bookstores
     Softcover:
       *5150 books printed
       *sent out to bookstores throughout U.K.

     First Print Points: EVERY 1st Print  (hard & softcover) MUST have these points
       1) Front Cover
         a) Wendy Cooling Quote to front bottom edge
             *Only 1st and 2nd Print hardcovers and 1st - 5th softcovers have this highly valuable quote
       2) Back Cover
         b) "School of Wizardry and Witchcraft" to top right (instead of the common "School of Witchcraft and Wizardry")
         c) "Philsopher's" typo to middle right
       3) Copyright Page
         a) Complete 1-10 Number Line
         b) "Thomas Taylor1997" typo
       4) Page 53
        a) "1 Wand" listed twice in Harry's Hogwart's List
           --importantly, THIS is the only book in which this error is valuable. There is a LOT of misinformation surrounding this now famous "1 Wand Error", namely that it's rare and as such, valuable; neither are true. Because of a printing mishap with both hard and soft cover books somewhat early on (mid twenties give or take), many Bloomsbury UK books have this issue. Moreover, every 1st Edition (hard and soft cover) Canadian Philosopher's Stone has this "1 Wand" issue. Meaning, there are millions of books with this error and of them, only 5650 books are valuable. In Very Good or better condition,a softcover 1st print can easily go for $6,000.00 or greater. The hardcover books in Very Good or better can easily reach $15,000.000 or greater
             *2nd Print hardcover and 2nd - 5th Print softcovers do NOT have this  page 53 issue.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone 1st Edition, 10th Print (1998)

Harry Potter Later Print Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter Later Print Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter Later Print Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter Later Print Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter Later Print Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter Later Print Philosopher's Stone

This book was actually produced and printed in 1998. Notice how the front cover's bottom quote has changed from the Wendy Cooling quote to one from the Sunday Telegraph--this is important to easily and quickly tell more valuable books from the not-so-valuable; the Cooling quote books are always going to be valued higher than the Sunday Telegraph quote books (unless signed or condition is strikingly terribly). The back cover reads "School of  Witchcraft and Wizardry" as do all books apart from the first prints, and the "Philsopher's" typo was fixed beginning 2nd print onward. The spacing of "Thomas Taylor1997" is still not fixed and the book doesn't have the page 53 "1 Wand" issue. The number line reads "10" indicating a 10th print.

Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, 1st Print, 1st Edition (1998)

Harry Potter 1st Print Chamber of Secrets Book 2
1st Print 1st Edtion Bloomsbury Chamber of Secrets
1st Print 1st Edtion Bloomsbury Chamber of Secrets
1st Print 1st Edtion Bloomsbury Chamber of Secrets

1st Print, 1st Edition Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. These books are fairly rare, even though they seem to frequently show up on popular e-commerce sites (like eBay), it is important to remember that many weren't printed because the series still was not that popular, although it was definitely gaining a strong foothold in British popular culture. The Rowling bibliography gives the number of 1st prints produced as 706, but I'm fairly certain that more were released given how many I have owned and seen for sale over the years.

First Print, Edition Points:

Original Publisher: Bloomsbury (NOT Ted Smart)

Original Price: £10.99
Pages: 251

​

1) Copyright Page has a full number line ( 10 - 1) with the 1 indicating a 1st Print.

2) Printed by Clays St. Ives

3) Reviews from the Sunday Times and the Independence on Saturday

4) Lacks the Hogwarts Crest on the Copyright Page

5) Blue Badge on the front cover's bottom left corner

1st Adult Edition
Chamber of Secrets

The 1st Adult editions were issued only in softcover, with the 1st Print Philosopher's Stones being published in 1998, just a year after the publication of the first book. No hardcovers of these editions were issued. Only books 1-4 were released in this edition. Cover Credit for Book 1: Ogle Winston Link; Book 2: John Turner/Tony Stone Images; Book 3: Eagle © Michio Hoshino/Robert Harding, et al.; Book 4: Corbis Images.

​

Notes: 1st Prints are sometimes listed as 1st print, 1st editions on eBay -- don't overpay for a 1st print of this book.

1st Adult Edition
1st Adult Edition Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone; ISBN: 0747542988
1st Adult Edition Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets; ISBN: 0747544077
1st Adult Edition Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban; ISBN: 0747546347
1st Adult Edition Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

ISBN: 0747542988

ISBN: 0747544077

ISBN: 0747546347

ISBN: 0747550794

Deluxe Edition, 1999

This edition, like the others that have followed the 1st Edition, is commonly found on eBay and other ecommerce sites as a 1st Edition of the Philosopher's Stone. Just know that it's not; it was introduced in 1999. The 1st prints are scarce as only 4869 1st prints were produced. As this edition became widely popular, the book has been in reprint since its introduction. 1st prints in Very Good - Fine condition can bring about $500 or a bit higher currently , as 1st prints are in high demand by collectors. 2nd prints sell around $100 or so and later prints can be found for much less.

Harry Potter Deluxe Edition Philosopher' Stone
Harry Potter Deluxe Edition Philosopher' Stone
Celebration Edition

The Celebration Editions were first published by Bloomsbury in 2001 only in softcover format. The books covers use a modified version of the 1st edition books' illustrations. All 7 books were published in this edition; unusually, this is one of the few, if only, Bloomsbury Potter editions that does not have a Box Set as well.

​

Notes: 1st Prints are sometimes confused with 1st print, 1st editions on eBay -- don't overpay for a 1st print of this book if that's what you're wanting. This Edition also looks very similar to the Canadian Magic Edition. 

*Number of 1st Prints: Book 1: 400,200; Book 2: 700,200; Book 3: 200,080; Book 4: 115,000; Book 5: 47,660; Book 6: 14,040; Book 7: 36,200

*Taken from J.K. Rowling: A Bibliography 1997-2013

Celebration Edition
Bloomsbury Celebration Edition Harry Potter and the Philospher's Stone

​


ISBN: 9780747558194

Bloomsury Celebration Edition Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Bloomsbury Celebration Edition Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

​


ISBN: 9780747562184

​

Bloomsbury Celebration Edition Harry Potte and the Order of the Phoenix
Bloomsbury Celebration Edition Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Bloosbury Celebratio Edition Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

​


ISBN: 9780747573760

 

​

​

​


ISBN: 97807475782380
 

​

​

​


ISBN: 9780747591269

​

​

​


ISBN: 9780747598466

​

Bloomsbury Celebration Edition Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

​


ISBN: 9781408810293

​

Signature Edition (Softcover)

Published in 2010, these editions bear beautiful art by Clare Melinksy. A handful of Potter translations, like the Italian and Brazilian have adopted this art for one of their editions as well.

Number of 1st Prints: Book 1: 63,586; Book 2: 63,102; Book 3: 63,312; Book 4: 65,040; Book 5: 63,435; Book 6: 64,252; Book 7: 65,200.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Signature Edition (Softcover), November 1 2010
IMG_6037.jpg
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Signature Edition (Softcover), November 1 2010
IMG_6036.jpg
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Signature Edition (Softcover), November 1 2010
IMG_6035.jpg
Signature Ed. (Paperback)

ISBN: 9781408810545

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Signature Edition (Softcover), November 1 2010
IMG_6034.jpg

ISBN: 9781408810576

ISBN: 9781408810552

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Signature Edition (Softcover), November 1 2010
IMG_6033.jpg

ISBN: 9781408810590

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Signature Edition (Softcover), November 1 2010
IMG_6031.jpg

ISBN: 9781408810569

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Signature Edition (Softcover), November 1 2010
IMG_6032.jpg

ISBN: 9781408810583

ISBN: 9781408810606

Jonny Duddle Editions

Published in 2014, these books feature the beautiful and magical art of Jonny Duddle. You can find the books in hard and soft covers as well as in box sets (Hard and Soft) with unique cover art. Sometimes, you'll see these listed for sale as "1st Edition!" but they're absolutely without a doubt not, so don't pay a high price. First prints are easily enough found as well, so again, don't go overpaying. These are lovely books, but not highly valuable.

 

Click Here to watch Jonny Duddle illustrating Harry Potter! Click Here to see my Youtube video on the hardcover set!

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Illustrated by Jonny Duddle and published by Bloomsbury

ISBN: 9781408855898

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Illustrated by Jonny Duddle and published by Bloomsbury

ISBN: 9781408855904

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Illustrated by Jonny Duddle and published by Bloomsbury

ISBN: 9781408855911

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Illustrated by Jonny Duddle and published by Bloomsbury

ISBN: 9781408855928

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Illustrated by Jonny Duddle and published by Bloomsbury

ISBN: 9781408855935

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Illustrated by Jonny Duddle and published by Bloomsbury

ISBN: 9781408855942

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Illustrated by Jonny Duddle and published by Bloomsbury

ISBN: 9781408855959

Box Sets

Box Sets

Harry Potter box sets have fueled imaginations since the very first one was issued in 1998. illustrations offered on the books and the boxes not only created wonderful gateways into the series itself, but also helped expand the beautiful collection of art that surrounds this epic series. 20 years later, box sets are still coming, each more lovely than the last. Now we are on to the Jim Kay illustrated books, and I know when a complete box of those is available, I will buy it, despite having bought the 7 books individually.

Harry Potter Gift Set

The first ever Harry Potter Box Set was issued in 1998 and contained the very first 2 books. There are 2 variants of this set. 1) 4th Print Philosopher's Stone, 7th Print Chamber of Secrets 2) 5th Print Philosopher's Stone, 10th Print Chamber of Secrets, with the 2nd appearing to be harder to find. The set pictured below is the 2nd of the 2; I do have the 1st variant as well if you need any information from it. The box features the cover art of both book 1 and book 2. This set originally cost GBP 21.99 and now sells for $500 unsigned depending on condition and which variant it it, with the 2nd tending to sell a little higher.

1st Bloomsbury Harry Potter BoxSet!

Box Set ISBN: 0747543356

5th Print Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Bloomsbury 1998
10th Print Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Bloomsbury 1998
IMG_5090.jpg
IMG_5091.jpg

Signature Edition Box Set (Softcover)

The lovely Signature Edition books were published on November 10, 2010, and a box set was also made featuring these lovely books. The books in my set range from 8th to 10th prints; I'm not sure if that's common for all Signature Edition softcover box sets OR if box sets were just made from many different ranges of prints during the production of these lovely editions. The front and back covers of these books are phenomenal and definitely worth checking out. These box sets aren't super rare, and can be found for about $65 or so. 

Bloomsbury Softcover Harry Potter Signature Edition Box Set, published in 2010
Signature Editio Softcover
Bloomsbury Softcover Harry Potter Signature Edition Box Set, Published in 2010
Bloomsbury's Harry Potter Softcover Signature Edition Box Set, published November 1st, 2010

Box Set ISBN: 9781408812525

Harry Potter, the Complete Collection

This beautiful box set, illustrated by the lovely Jonny Duddle, has some of the most beautiful jackets and boards of all the Potter books, I think. Additionally, the box is quite sturdy and has a magnetic front closure. Australia has a set like this as well, but the box is is a dark blue instead of red.

IMG_1981.jpg
IMG_1985.jpg
Duddle Hard

ISBN: 9781408856789

The Magical Adventure Begins Set

This cool set was published in 2013 and only featured the first 3 books in softcover, with wonderful and unusual cover art. Interestingly, the colors of the individual books matches that of the Bloomsbury Deluxe books. The books were only available as a box set; 42,700 copies were produced. Illustrated by Joe McLaren.

Magical Adventure Begins Set
Harry Potter The Magical Adventure Begins Box Set, Bloomsbury 2013

ISBN: 9781408849934

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, The Magica Adventure Begins Box Set, Bloomsbury 2013

ISBN: 9781408849927

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, The Magical Adventure Begins Box Set, Bloomsbury2013

ISBN: 9781408849934

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Magical Adventure Begins Box Set, Bloomsbury 2013

ISBN: 9781408849941

bottom of page