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Scholastic (U.S.) Potter Books

Important note about US First Edition Hardcover US editions - these are STILL in print, meaning published/produced by the publisher EVEN now (2026)! The print is way later, like 120s+ for Sorcerer's Stone, but they're still being published. What does this mean - this means I can right now (February 1st 2026) go into Barnes & Noble, or anywhere that sells brand new books and purchase a 1st edition hardcover Harry Potter book. Will that book be rare or valuable - No - it'll be worth the the price paid for it, nothing further. 

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Click to listen to Dialogue Alley discuss the Most Valuable American Potter Books.

Advance Reader Copies (ARCs)
RARE and VALUABLE (all 3, with the 1st being the most sought after and highest valuable (condition depending)

An advance reading or reader copy, advance review copy, advance reader's edition, advance copy, or a reader's edition (ARC or ARE) is a free copy of a new book given by a publisher to booksellers, librarians, journalists, celebrities, or others, or as a contest or school prize, before the book is printed for mass distribution. These books, like the Bloomsbury proofs are not for sale to the public. In the case of the Scholastic ARCs, we are fairly certain that 3,000 Sorcerer's Stone ARCs were produced. Of the other two, we assume 3,000 were produced as well, but we don't know. I will say that the other two seem to be more common than the Stone ARC, but that can also be for a myriad of reasons. And you'll notice the cover art for the Azkaban ARC is checkerboard instead of the cover art (like you see with the other two). This is because the publication date for Azkaban was pushed up to meet the demand (and to keep US customers from ordering their books from the UK as they had with book 2). And since the date was pushed forward, GrandPre hadn't finished the cover illustration yet, so the checkerboard was used.  Also, each ARC has the same copyright page as the 1st print, 1st edition trade. 

Advance Reader Copies
ARC, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Advance Reade Copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer' Stone producd by Scholastic.
Advance Reade Copy (ARC) of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, produced by Scholastic.
Close up of the backside of the Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, produced by Scholastic.
Close up of the Note from the Publisher inside the Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone produced by Scholastic.
ARC, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Front cover of the Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, produced by Scholastic.
Backside of the Advance Reader Cop (ARC) of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, produced by Scholastic.
Close up of the backside of the Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets produced by Scholastic
Inside of the Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets produced by Scholastic.
ARC, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Front cover of the Advance Reader Copy of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban produced by Scholastic.
Backside of the Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban produced by Scholastic.
Inside page of the Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban produced by Scholastic.
First Edition Trades

The simplest way to define a first edition is that it is the first commercially distributed edition of that book. Sometimes first editions are called trades or first edition trades because they are traded or sold to the public via large bookstores like Waterstones, Foyles, Barnes & Noble and so on. It is also important to note that a first edition is NOT the same as a book club edition.

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For the 1st US edition of Harry Potter, the title was changed away from Philosopher's Stone to Sorcerer's Stone after some back-and-forth with Jo. In October of 1998, there were somewhere around 30,000 - 35,000 first print, first edition Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone books released. Twenty-one years later, that same first edition is in its 100th print--a phenomenal feat.

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The first edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone has changed over time as the book and series became more popular. For example, the first print was released with a price of $16.95 and now you can buy the 100th print, first edition for $27.00. There are other changes that have happened as well through time, like the addition of the "1" on the spine sometime around the 26/27th print. 

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Mary GrandPre illustrated all 7 1st Edition Harry Potter Books

First Editions
1st Edition, 1st Print Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (1998)
RARE and VALUABLE (1st print really only) 1st Print holds the most value by a LOT, with 2nd prints in Guardian jacket selling around $300, condition depending; 4th prints in 2nd state jackets (2nd state jacket is the J.K. Rowling on the spine of the jacket, Publisher's Weekly quote, $16.95 price) can sell around $100, condition depending; 6th print w/ no embossed boards can sell around $50+ condition depending; value after the 6th print drops drastically to being around $20 or less per book b/c by this point the books were being printed in quite high numbers. 

ISBN: 9780590353403

1st Print Stone
1st Edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, published by Scholastic.

*First Edition: VERY FIRST time the book has been published by ANY publisher; if another publisher picks up the rights, then people say First Edition (insert publisher's name) or just "publisher's name" edition.
*Trade: has a price on the book and can be purchased at bookstores, like Barnes & Noble; in the Potter books, the first edition trades (AKA 1st editions) are the most collectible (and sometimes valuable) over the book club and other later editions.

The Sorcerer's Stone First Edition trade is one that is usually misrepresented on eBay, as many people assume that because it's a first edition, it MUST be valuable and/or rare; however, that's not the case as the 1st Edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is STILL in PRINT, it's just many, many prints later. Additionally, some people (easily) confuse the first edition trade with Book Club Editions.

Before discussing value, first, let's properly identify a first edition trade.
Book/Boards: a First Edition trade Sorcerer's Stone MUST have purple boards with bright red spine cloth; ANY other board colors and you don't have a first edition trade - pretty easy.

Spine: The spine top has gone through some changes, so sometimes you will see a book that is missing a "1" on the spine, or has other changes from the now common "Rowling / 1" on the spine's top.

All 1st edition Sorcerer's Stone (regardless of print) MUST have turquoise front end papers/pastedowns at the front and back of the book.

J.K. Rowling on the spine of the boards and jacket (1st Print, 1st Edition).

1st Print, 1st Edition copyright page

A later print jacket from a 1st edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone published by Scholastic.

Jacket:

The First Edition (regardless of print) trade jacket is textured and MUST have "Harry Potter" in RAISED gold foil lettering, a price to the upper front inside flap, and back bar code that is either cream or pink, and a quote by either the Guardian or Publisher's Weekly. The 1st state jacket is the ONLY 1st edition jacket to have a quote from the Guardian on the back.

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To read more about the different states the 1st edition jacket, Click Here.

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Later state jacket from a later print

Guardian Quote

1st State Jacket

The most valuable First Edition Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is the First Print.
*First Print: VERY FIRST time the book has been printed EVER (doesn't count the Advance Reader Copies/Proofs above).

Identifying a First Print, First Edition (sometimes called 1/1 on eBay or other ecommerce sites) Sorcerer's Stone.
Book/Boards: Purple with red spine cloth.Spine says "J. K. Rowling" (no "1") at top.

The First Edition, 1st Print was issued in two separate jackets--the 1st state and the 2nd state; 1st state is the most desirable among collectors.
1st State Jacket: Textured with Harry Potter in RAISED gold letters; J. K. Rowling at Spine's top (no "1"); $16.95 price to the front inside flap; cream back bar code with 51695 above smaller bar code; Guardian quote to the rear.

2nd State Jacket: Textured with Harry Potter in RAISED gold letters; J. K. Rowling at Spine's top (no "1"); $16.95 price to the front inside flap; cream colored bar code with 51695 above smaller bar code; Publisher's Weekly quote to rear.

Copyright Page:

Number Line that reads "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2" at the bottom with 8 9/9 0/0 01 02 / Printed in the U.S.A 23 / First American Edition October 1998 around it. ALL of this information MUST be present to have a first print. The "1" in the number line indicates that the book is a First Print; if the number line is missing the "1", but all the other numbers are present, you'd have a 2nd print, b/c that's the lowest number in the line; a number line with just "10" is a 10th Print.

Note: The Book clubs also have this same copyright page; do NOT confuse the two--the book clubs do NOT have the purple boards with red spine cloth. And don't worry, I'll cover the Book clubs later :)

VALUE of Harry Potter the Sorcerer's Stone, 1st Edition

Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: MANY people are under the impression that ALL first Edition Sorcerer's Stone are rare and or valuable; however, that's just not the case. There were approximately 30,000 - 35,000 First Print Sorcerer's Stone books printed; the book, last time I checked a few months ago (January 2021), the First Edition Sorcerer's Stone was in its 106th Print, meaning there are 105 prints AFTER the first print, with each subsequent print run being larger than the last. Essentially, there are millions of these books in circulation and only about 30,000 of then have any real collectible and monetary value. Currently, a 1st Print, 1st Edition Sorcerer's Stone in Very Good or better condition is selling on eBay from $800 or higher; they've sold for much higher and lower than this number as demand and markets fluctuate. But, of all the First Editions, this is the one that will retain its value the best. Second Print Sorcerer's Stone (Number Line 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 5 2): Many people assume that because the First Print sells for $800 or better on average, that the 2nd print will bring close to $500 or better. It doesn't. People don't want to spend a lot of money on a 2nd print when they can save for a 1st. Second Print Sorcerer's Stone books can be found in a 1st state jacket (with Guardian Quote), and these generally sell better than the 2nds in 2nd state jackets because sometimes people just want to own a Guardian quote jacket and don't think they can afford a 1st print. 2nd prints are also found in 2nd state jackets (Publisher's Weekly Quote). These typically don't do as well because it's just not nearly as highly desired. As far as value, in Guardian Jacket and Very Good or better condition, a 2nd Print Sorcerer's Stone can bring $300 or better right now, and maybe a bit higher on average; $300 is average for this book at the moment (01/21). a 2nd print in 2nd state Jacket in Very Good average condition typically goes for around $100 average. Prints 3-10: The Sorcerer's Stone jacket actually changes once again to third state jacket sometime around prints 3 and 4. The J. K. Rowling was dropped from the spine top and replaced with Rowling; still no "1". A Very Good or better 3rd Print (Number Line 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4) in 2nd State Jacket (J.K. Rowling to spine) on average is selling for around $100 - $150. A 3rd print in 3rd State Jacket (Rowling to spine top; no "1") sells for about $75 on the top end. 4th Print (Number Line 5 7 9 10 8 6 4) in 2nd State jackets (these happen, but are more rare than the 4ths in 3rd state jackets) sell for around $75 and 4th prints in 3rd State jackets (Rowling to spine top; no "1") sell for around $60. 5th Print: Currently, there is a 5th Print on eBay for a few hundred dollars; but at least at this time (and for the foreseeable near future), an unsigned 5th won't bring that. A 5th print in Very Good or better usually sells around $50-$60. 6th Print: The majority of these prints were issued without the diamond embossed purple boards, making them a fun book to own. In Very Good or better condition, these can go for $60 or so. 7th - 10th Prints: these can bring anywhere between $35 - $60 condition depending. These prints are fairly common and can be found somewhat easily if hunting through eBay or ecommerce sites; Do NOT overpay for them; they are around :) 11th - Current Prints: Current prints can be bought at Barnes & Noble and other stores as well and haven't entered into the secondary market yet--I've seen people try to sell these for $100 or better touting the rarity of the US first edition; it was a 120th Print, so not rare at all. The 11th - 120s can all easily be found for $30 or less with value decreasing as print number increases; of course condition and whether signed plays a factor in value, so make sure to keep that in mind while purchasing. *All of these values are based on UNsigned books; Rowling's signature definitely ups the value; we will talk about those in another place here.

​For more information, watch my YouTube Video OR read this Blog Post "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Book Club Editions–Valuable?".

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or more information about US Potter Book Club Editions, check out This Video

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For information about the Junior Library Guild (JLG) Book Club, Read On

Books 2 - 7 - NOT rare or valuable in any print w/ 1st prints of 2 selling around $100 - $150 condition depending

Books 2 - 7 Coming Soon

1st Edition, 1st Print Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (1999)


Published by Scholastic, the 1st Edition, 1st Print of this book is interesting -  I say this because there are arguably 3 states of the 1st Print, 1st Edition Chamber of Secrets (State of a book refers to small changes within an edition, like a price change for example). Also, the value of the 1st edition, 1st Print (any state) Chamber of Secrets drops drastically from the Sorcerer's Stone. Also interestingly - there were approximately 250,000 1st prints produced, which is 220,000 more than the first print run of the Sorcerer's Stone in 1998. Due to the large amount of 1st Print, 1st Edition Chamber of Secrets books produced, the book is NOT rare and holds minimal monetary value compared to other more rare/higher demand Potter books. And the 1st Print runs only get larger from this book forward. Cover art by Mary GrandPre.

Not all First Edition Chamber of Secrets books are First Prints - remember, this book has been in print continuously since 1999.  So what points need to be looked for to ensure you have a 1st Edition?​

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  1. Hardcover with jacket

  2. Textured jacket with RAISED silver foiled lettering on the front and spine

  3. Blue boards with Green spine cloth

  4. Red end papers/pastedowns

  5. A price on the jacket (anywhere from $17.95 - $29.95 - the price of the book has gone up over the years).

IMG_9708.JPG
Chamber of Secrets

ISBN: 9780439064866

1st Print, 1st Edition (1st State)

The 1st Print, 1st Edition (1st State) is the most common of the Chamber of Secrets 1st Prints. If you look on eBay at any point in time, you'll see at least one seller listing this particular state as something like "TRUE FIRST EDITION". When most think of the 1st Print, 1st Edition U.S. Chamber of Secrets, the 1st State is what's thought of. This first state was probably produced longer than the other 2 states of the 1st Print given how rarely the others pop up (at least compared to this one). I'm also not sure when other two first prints popped up in the publishing time line - but more on that later. In absolutely fine, unread condition, I have seen copies of this book sell around $150 or so (unsigned).

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For the 1st State Points to Look Out For

  1. NO 2 on the book spine

  2. No 2 on Jacket spine

  3. $17.95 price on the front inside jacket

  4. 51795 above the back bar code

  5. 1 - 10 number line

We are only talking about States of the 1st Print so the copyright page MUST have a 1 - 10 number line; ANY OTHER NUMBERS PRESENT IN THE NUMBER LINE AND YOU DO NOT HAVE A 1st PRINT. I have seen so many ads on sites saying they're selling a 1st print, and they most definitely are NOT selling a 1st print, just a later print 1st Edition of whatever book they're selling. The number line matters, folks.

You will also see that Scholastic struggled to spell "Sorcerer" on the Also By page - they spelled Sorceror - this typo is probably in at least 1 million books or so as I have seen this typo on mid 20s prints as well as all 3 states of the 1st print.

1st Print, 1st Edition (2nd State)

The 2nd State 1st Print is quite fun. They don't seem to show up often, but it could also be that not as many people know about them, so there could be more out than seen. I also do not know when this State (or the 3rd for that matter) showed up in the publishing time time. I am also fairly certain that this State of the 1st print is not included in the 250,000 number given, BUT cannot be sure. 

  1. 2 on the spine of the jacket 

  2. 2 on the book spine

  3. $17.95 jacket price

  4. 51795 above the small back bar code

  5. 1 - 10 number line

These books do not show up for sale too often; when they do, they tend to sell anywhere from $40 - $100. I paid $60 for my copy in 2017.

Again here too, you'll see the "Sorceror" typo.

1st Print, 1st Edition (3rd State)

The 3rd State is the one I'm not entirely convinced was intended to be released by Scholastic and why I say "arguably 3 States". For sure, there are 2. This one ...  it could be that 2nd State 1st Print books were put with later state $19.95 jackets by consumers. However, I have seen enough of the arguable 3rd State books around that I'm fairly certain they were actually released this way from Scholastic, which is why I'm including them here. Like the 2nd State, I am also fairly certain that this 3rd State of the 1st print is not included in the 250,000 number given, BUT honestly I don't know. 

  1. 2 on the spine of the jacket 

  2. 2 on the book spine

  3. $19.95 price

  4. 51995 above the small back bar code

  5. 1 - 10 number line

Again here too, you'll see the "Sorceror" typo.

Of the 3 States, this one is the least visible, which could be for a number of reasons. It is possible that someone didn't realize what they had and removed the original $19.95 jacket and replacing with a $17.95 jacket. It could be that the person doesn't realize this book would also be considered a 1st Edition, 1st Print and left that out of a sale listing. It could be that few were released by Scholastic to begin with making them harder to come by than the other 2. Due to lack of knowledge and demand, however, this State doesn't sell any higher than the other 2. I think I paid $40 for my copy in 2019.

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I wish I knew more about where the 2nd and 3rd State 1st Prints fall in the publishing history. While Scholastic does include a date line (right of the number line on the copyright page), all 3 States have the same copyright page, so here, the date line is not useful. Due to the 2nd State having the 2 on the book and jacket, that indicates that some time had passed from the 1st State, 1st Print, so more than likely there had been 2nd and 3rd and 4th Prints (and more possibly) before the release of the 2nd State. I need to research further around what print the 2 was put on the book and jacket because that may provide some clue. And then with the (arguable) 3rd State that was released with the $19.95 priced jacket, I cannot help but wonder where in the print runs of this book did that State fall. And then I have to ask - are there also multiple states of the 2nd and 3rd and so on prints - like for example after the release of the 3rd State, did the printer start back with 2 and 3 and so on? OR did the printer just continue back with the original print run sequence as if the 3rd State 1st Print had not interrupted at all? If it's the 1st scenario, then we are way off on how many Chamber of Secrets print runs have actually been produced. If the 2nd, then we at least know roughly how many print runs of the 1st Edition Chamber there are. I just need to sit down and heavily research this topic at some point, because I have so many questions about the publishing history of this book​

Published by Scholastic in October 1999, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban had a 1st Print run of 500,000 - which is double the said number for the 1st Print, 1st Edition Chamber of Secrets from June 1999.

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You also may be wondering why the U.S. had 2 Harry Potter books published in 1999, when books 1 and 2 had been published about a year behind the books' release in the U.K. Well, the answer is long and involves lawsuits (I cover this topic top in this video here), but the short answer is that the demand was huge and Scholastic realized this and decided line up publication dates. The U.K. and the U.S. released Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire at the same time.

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The 1st Edition Harrry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban has a textured jacket, RAISED green foil lettering on the front and spine of the jacket, bright orange end papers/pastedowns, dark greenish boards with purple cloth spine, and has a price on the top right inside front flap. If you have a book that looks ANY different that what's described, you have a book club edition

ISBN: 9780439136358

The first Print, 1st Edition has a FULL Number Line on the copy right page (1 - 10). If you do not see this 1 - 10 number line, you do not have 1st print. The jacket on the 1st Print, 1st Edition Azkaban book has a $19.95 price on the top right front inside flap.

The value of the 1st Print, 1st Edition Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in fine, unread condition I would say would be around $50 - $100 (may be a bit more); most books, however, are in Good or less condition due to being read through so much, which is charming in its own way.

Published by Scholastic in July 2000, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire had a first print run of 3.8 million books. the book's 37 chapters did not stop people from wanting to read it though - 3 million copies of the book sold on the first weekend it was offered for sale, causing Scholastic to print another 3 million more copies

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The First Edition of Goblet of Fire must have a textured jacket with RAISED gold foil letters on the front cover and spine of the jacket. The boards must be reddish (and embossed with diamond pattern) with black spine cloth, and purple end papers/pastedowns. The jacket must also have a price on the front inside flap's right upper corner area. If you have a book that looks different that what's described in ANY way, you have a book club.​​

ISBN: 9780439139595

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The first Print, 1st Edition has a FULL Number Line on the copy right page (1 - 10). If you do not see this 1 - 10 number line, you do not have 1st print. The jacket on the 1st Print, 1st Edition Goblet book has a $25.95 price on the top right front inside flap. Goblet of Fire is also the the first U.S. Potter book that uses thinner paper (which is more than likely due to the total page count of the books and to prevent wear on the spine and keep weight of the books down). So unlike the previous 3 books, you can see the diamond patten showing through to the copyright page.

The value of the 1st Print, 1st Edition Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in fine, unread condition I would say would be around $20-$25 (maybe a bit more). You have to remember the first print run was 3.8 million books. First Prints are around, even in Fine, Unread Condition. Make sure not to overpay for this book. The 1st Print, 1st Edition of this book is NOT rare - just fun.

Published by Scholastic on the 21st of June 2003, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix had a 1st Print run of 6.8 million books - which is about double from the Goblet of Fire. The 2nd print run (printed before publication) was 1.7 millions books. The book sold 5 million copies in the first 24 hours, which is why Scholastic went back and ordered a 3rd print run on June 24 of 800,000 books. That's 9.3 million books. 11 million copies sold in the 1st 12 weeks after release. And more books have been printed since. So, like the Goblet of FIre, and remaining 2 books in the series, 1st Editions of this book are NOT rare - NEITHER are 1st prints (there are 6.8 million of them after all).​​

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​The 1st Edition Harrry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix has a textured jacket, RAISED blue foil lettering on the front and spine of the jacket, dark blue end papers/pastedowns, blue boards (with the usual diamond embossed pattern) and grey spine cloth, and the jacket as a price on the front insude flaps top right corner area. If you have a book that looks ANY different that what's described, you have a book club edition

ISBN: 9780439358064

The first Print, 1st Edition has a FULL Number Line on the copy right page (1 - 10). If you do not see this 1 - 10 number line, you do not have 1st print. The jacket on the 1st Print, 1st Edition Order of the Phoenix book has a $29.99 price on the top right front inside flap. Like Goblet of Fire above and the other 2 books. the paper the use is printed on is thinner so you can see the diamond pattern showing through on the copyright page.

The value of the 1st Print, 1st Edition Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in Fine, Unread condition is maybe $10-$20 (maybe a bit more). You have to remember the first print run was 6.8 million books. First Prints are around, even in Fine, Unread Condition. Make sure not to overpay for this book. The 1st Print, 1st Edition of this book is NOT rare - just fun.

Published by Scholastic on the 16th of July 2005, Harry Potter and the half-Blood Prince had the largest 1st Print run yet at 10.8 million copies! Of those 10.8 million copies, 6.9 million copies (so more than than the entire 1st Print run of the previous book!) sold within 24 hours of release. Due to this rush of sales, Scholastic rushed to print 2.7 million copies. 11 million copies of the book sold within the first 9 weeks.​​

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​The 1st Edition Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has a textured jacket, RAISED purple foil lettering on the front and spine of the jacket, dark green end papers/pastedowns, purple boards (with the usual diamond embossed pattern) and black spine cloth, and the jacket as a price on the front insude flaps top right corner area. I have no personally seen a book club edition of this book, and I have heard varying rumors about whether they exist or not. 

ISBN: 9780439784542

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The first Print, 1st Edition has a FULL Number Line on the copy right page (1 - 10). If you do not see this 1 - 10 number line, you do not have 1st print. The jacket on the 1st Print, 1st Edition Half-Blood Prince has a $29.99 price on the top right front inside flap. Like Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix above and the following book, the paper the use is printed on is thinner so you can see the diamond pattern showing through on the copyright page.

The value of the 1st Print, 1st Edition Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince even in Fine, Unread Condition is around $15-$20 (maybe a bit more or less). Again, due to such a large 1st print volume, books are around and demand is definitely lower, keeping value of these 1st prints low. Despite what eBay say, the 1st Print, 1st Edition is not rare or monetarily valuable - just fun.

Published by Scholastic on July 21, 2007, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows won the Guinness Book of World Records title for Highest Initial Print Run for a Fiction Book. The First Print run consisted of 12 million books, which is just so many. 8..3 million sold within the 1st 24 hours and 11.5 million copies sold during the first 10 days. 

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The First Edition Deathly Hallows has a textured jacket, RAISED red foil letting on the front of the cover and spine, bright red end papers/pastedowns, and a price on the jacket's front flap's top right corner.The pages in this book are also thinner than the first 3 books so you can see the diamond pattern through the copyright page.

ISBN: 9780545010221

The first Print, 1st Edition has a FULL Number Line on the copy right page (1 - 10). If you do not see this 1 - 10 number line, you do not have 1st print. The jacket on the 1st Print, 1st Edition Deathly Hallows has a $34.99 price on the top right front inside flap. 

Frequently, I see this book listed on eBay with words like RARE, HARD TO FIND or similar. Guys, you have to remember there were 12 million 1st Prints produced and later prints as well. Nothing about this book is RARE or HARD TO FIND, just find. Even in Fine, Unread Condition 1st Prints are not valued very highly - maybe $10-$15. Books are around. Don't over pay.

Junior Library Guild book club edition
RARE and Valuable - only US Book Club Edition to have monetary value over the book's readability (despite eBay and seller pricing), most Potter book clubs aren't rare or valuable; the Junior Library Guild, to the right buyer, can sell well upwards of $1,200.

The Junior Library Guild (JLG) edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone IS a book club edition (Junior Library Guild club) and is the ONLY Book Club Edition to have real monetary value. The JLG was released in January 1999 and was available for sale to JLG members for $8.50. Now - in 2025 - in Fine Condition, the book can sell upwards of $1200; even in Acceptable to Poor condition and missing the jacket, the book can sell for around $300. These books are harder to come by than the 1st edition, 1st print as less were printed (more than likely - don't know exact print numbers of JLG Stone, but just guessing from the few I've seen over the years), and their demand is definitely increasing as more collectors enter into the market.

Junior Library Guild

How to Recognize the Junior Library Guild (JLG) Sorcerer's Stone:

  • The Jacket and Boards match (ie. SAME Mary GrandPre cover art on both)

  • Guardian Quote on jacket/boards - ONLY book club edition to have the Guardian quote on the back of the jacket.

  • Spine's bottom of jacket/boards says "A Junior Library Guild Book"

  • Back jacket/board says, "This selection has been designed as an outstanding book by the Junior Library Guild for A Group".

  • Jacket is textured w/ gold foiling that is NOT raised

  • No price on jacket's front inside flap

  • front end papers/pastedowns are WHITE

Book Club Editions

NOT rare or valuable (exception above). Many were created (especially of book 1) and they sell for about the readability of the book (so around $5 - $20; don't overpay for one of these.

First - what IS a book club edition? 

     I see a lot of people assuming that because a book has the same cover art, it is a 1st edition; this is wrong. book clubs are definitely not first editions despite looking quite similar. Book club editions, sometimes also called a book of the month club edition, are made with cheaper materials than the books produced by the original publisher (very evident with Potter book clubs). They tend to be smaller in size, and can be a more affordable alternative to purchasing the nicer hardcover books. Because book clubs are are not sold to in stores to the public, they also tend to not include prices on the jackets. 

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With Harry Potter book club editions, there are quite a few, with Sorcerer's Stone having the most produced. Only one book club edition has any significant monetary and collectible value, and that is the JLG book club edition. DO NOT over pay for any of the book club editions below, regardless of condition or having the 1-10 number line or having J.K. Rowling on the spine of the jacket and/or boards - none that matters here. All end pages for ALL books clubs are always white - this is NOT the case for 1st edition Potter books, which all have colored end papers. Also notice how with ALL book club Harry Potter copyright pages, you can see the diamond pattern from the other side of the page. The book clubs below do NOT have RAISED foil lettering (which the 1st edition books have); the lettering is just printed and flat. 

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Below is not ALL of the Harry Potter book clubs made, but a decent representation; however, all book clubs, as I said above, share similar characteristics and always look different from the 1st Edition books.

Book Club Editions of Sorcerer's Stone

can see diamond pattern from other side of copyright page. 

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No price on the flap

Book Club Editions

This book club edition comes in at least 2 forms - one form has a jacket that has J.K. Rowling on the spine of the jacket as well as the book and one like mine that has Rowling  and "1" on the jacket spine and J.K. Rowling on the book spine. The jacket for this one is textured and the "Harry Potter" lettering is kind of a mustard yellow in person. Due to the maroon spine area and the J.K. Rowling on the spine of jacket and or boards, many buyers and sellers seem to think think book has a LOT of value as well as think it is a 1st edition - it is NOT. I have seen this book priced at $2500 and sell for $500, and sadly, sell for it. This book is NOT rare and demand at this time is minimal. I paid $5.25 shipped with tax for this copy. I don't recommend paying much more than that for this book club edition, regardless of how immaculate the condition is. This book club has the 1 - 10 number line; this number line does NOT add more value to the book; don't be fooled.

This "black boards edition" book club of Sorcerer's Stone is fairly common as well. This jacket is quite smooth and shiny and shows wear so quickly. The "Harry Potter" lettering almost blends in to the cover art itself and is a weird goldish color. That same color is also on the spine of the jacket and barely shows up in most lighting when on the shelf. Like the above book, I paid about $5 shipped for the book, it's really not worth more than that, even in better condition. The copyright page for this book club has the 1 - 10 number line - this copyright page does NOT add value to this book club, do not be fooled. 

Not all book club editions are the same size; there are some Sorcerer's Stone book club editions that are quite small - this one and the next are the same cute, small size. This book club edition has a smooth, shiny, and very easily worn jacket. The copyright page does NOT have the 1 - 10 number line and looks different from the above book club edition copyright pages. While cute, this book club does not have value beyond what you would pay to read to it; I think I paid $4 for this book at a used bookstore. Even in new, unread condition, I wouldn't pay much more for this book.

This book club edition looks quite similar to the above; however, the jacket is matte, textured, and much nicer and does not show wear nearly as much as the one above. Unlike the above copy though, this book's pages are starting to yellow quite a bit from age.  

Chamber of Secrets has a few book club editions; however, I only have one of them in my collection. There is one that also has blue boards that I have seen running around frequently too - I just honestly haven't felt like spending anymore money on book club editions any time I have seen that particular one come up for sale. I paid $5 for this book.

I have only seen one version of the Azkaban book club thus far. I found this book at a used bookstore in DFW area in 2010 for $3.

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I bought this Goblet of Fire book club edition at the same time as the Azkaban for $4. The boards look quite similar to the 1st edition Goblet boards; however, they're not embossed and not as nice. The end papers for the 1st Edition Goblet book are a rich, deep purple. This book club edition's jacket is textured too.

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I at one point had an Order of the Phoenix book club edition, but I am not sure where it has gone at this time; I bought it at the same time as the Azkaban and Goblet for another $4.

LARGE Print Edition (Soft and Hardcover)
NOT rare OR valuable (even in 1st print form)

There are hard and softcover large print editions. The only ones I'm aware of feature the iconic Mary GrandPre cover art. Thorndike Press published both hard and softcover books; all 7 books were published in both editions.

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With the hardcover large print of Sorcerer's Stone, you have to be careful not to confuse it with the JLG edition if you're only looking at the covers/boards. Both books have pictorial boards; if you're not paying close attention, it's quite easy to mistake the the large print for the JLG - so always check ISBNS (large print has different one), look for the publisher emblems, is the gold foiling lettering RAISED (IF RAISED - it's a large print edition) If you think you may have found a JLG, check the above items first to make sure it's not a hardcover large print; large print also has the Publisher's Weekly quote on the back of the jacket/boards..

Hardcover ISBN: 0786222727

Softcover ISBN: 1594130000

Reinforced Library Edition (Hardcover)
Unknown Value

This book looks quite, quite similar the to 1st edition, 1st print Sorcerer's Stone book with few exceptions. The Reinforced Library Edition 1st Print was published in November 2003 by Scholastic (*note the 1st Print, 1st Edition Sorcerer's Stone was published October 1998). This is NOT a book club edition. This edition has a reinforced spine for lots of reading for the library readers. This book does NOT have a price on it anywhere because the book was not available for sale to the public.  This edition also has a different ISBN than the 1st Edition. 

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I do not know how many were sent out, how many produced, or if there are prints other than the 1st print made. Due to how similar these books look to the 1st Editions, I would not be surprised if some of these Reinforced Library Editions had been sold as 1st editions with only pictures of the front cover. Regardless, I am not sure of the value this edition has in its own right as I've not seen one sold. I have only seen a mislisted one recently come up for sale on eBay (Feb. 2026) but it has the wrong jacket and is listed as a 1st Edition, 1st Print. When I I'm able to offer more about value and demand for this edition, I will update. 

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ISBN: 9780439554930

Softcover Edition
NOT rare OR valuable (even in 1st print form)

Coming Soon

Mass Market Paperback Edition
NOT valuable (even in 1st Print form)

In 2001, Scholastic released a Mass Market paperback edition of Sorcerer's Stone. Chamber os Secrets was released in this edition in 2001, and Prisoner of Azkaban in 2004. Interestingly, but also not unusually, only the 1st 3 books were released in this edition. The books (especially books 1 and 2) has markedly different cover art and all 3 are quite a bit smaller thicker than the 1st softcover edition books. Prisoner of Azkaban has glittery "Harry Potter" font as well as stars on the Mary GrandPre cover art; I can't help but think that Scholastic knew the edition wasn't going to continue after book 3 and went out with a glittery bang.

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While these books are long, long out of print, they aren't really considered valuable even if they are a bit harder to find. I think I paid under $15 for all 3 combined.

ISBN: 043936213X

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ISBN: 0439420105

ISBN: 043965548X

Collector's Edition
NOT rare OR valuable - only 1st prints produced

Coming Soon

BEA Order of the Phoenix Edition
RARE (5,000 copies) w/ value increasing as demand increases

This book here was give out at the 2004 Book Expo of America (BEA); only 5,000 copies printed. This edition features the same cover art by Mary GrandPre that also appears on the jacket of the US Deluxe Edition (hardcover w/ slipcase). The only wording that appears on the cover is the red Scholastic on the back. 

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These books flew under the radar for a while and didn't start gaining a lot of monetary value until the last few years, when demand for them began increasing.  It is not uncommon to see one sell for $350 or higher, condition depending. 

"School Market" Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
*RARE and Valuable (in fine can sell around $150 or higher); I have a hard time using the word RARE for this book as is it definitely around and "in-demand" feels more appropriate; however, at times it can be harder to find at any price b/c there just aren't any up for sale at certain times. I would say more are becoming available as more people are becoming aware of them. So for now until I can think of a better term, Rare will stay here.

ISBN: 9780545124508

The Scholastic School Market Edition Sorcerer's Stone was published in 2009 and only available for a very short time on the Book Fair market, so it was NEVER for sale in bookstores open to the public. This edition features a lovely Mary GrandPre illustration; this book is the only book at this time that has this cover.

This book is not "super rare", despite what eBay says sometimes, BUT copies are harder to come by than other editions, and due its lovely cover art, the book is in higher demand by collectors.

Deluxe Edition
NOT rare OR valuable - only 1st prints produced; 100,000 copies of each.

Coming Soon

10th Anniversary

This book can be acquired quite easily for not much money. I found books for sale on eBay from $10 on up. Books in Very Good+ condition are around for not much money - please don't overpay. This book is not rare - just lovely.

ISBN: 9780545069670

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Cover art by Mary GrandPre - this may be my favorite GrandPre cover! - and published by Scholastic in 2008. The boards are definitely by favorite -  they are just beautiful. Again, we have RAISED foil lettering on the cover and spine. 

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The cover art shows an 11 year-old Harry looking at the Mirror of Erised in the first book - definitely a favorite moment of mine.

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What GrandPre said of this cover: It's a real treat for me to get another chance to visually bring Harry back to his fans in not only a new scene, but in a new light. Going back to draw the first cover for the anniversary edition was an opportunity for me to show another side of Harry... a vulnerable side. Having come to know and love Harry the way we all have, after experiencing the whole series, I think we can appreciate him even more on an emotional level.

Rowling's depiction of Snape circa 1992/3.

Back when Scholastic knew how to create an anniversary edition!

To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Sorcerer's Stone, Scholastic ad a Cover-to-Cover read-a-thon held on September 23, 2008. The event was held in New York at Scholastic headquarters. Of the event: On September 23rd, starting at 8:00 a.m., fans will have the opportunity to sit in the throne used by J.K. Rowling at Radio City Music Hall (2005) and Carnegie Hall (2007), and collectively read from the first book in the bestselling Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, ‘cover to cover’. There was a webcast for those who couldn't join in person. The event lasted 7.5 hours.

15th Anniversary - Kazu Kibuishi illustrator (box set and individually)
NOT rare or valuable even in 1st print

Coming Soon

20th Anniversary Edition
NOT rare OR valuable even in 1st print form

These lovelies were released in June 2018 to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, which was published almost 20 years before in September 1998. The illustrations by Brian Selznick are lovely independently, but also work together as 1 beautiful illustration when all lined up together. Selznick's black and white art is set off beautifully by the titles of the books, which are in jewel tones. This box set is only available in softcover. 

20th Anniversary Editions
20th Anniversary Edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
20th Anniversary Edition of Harry Potter an the Chamber of Secrets
20th Anniversary Edition of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

ISBN: 9781338299144

ISBN: 9781338299151

ISBN: 9781338299168

20th Anniversary Editon of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

ISBN: 9781338299175

20th Anniversary Edition of HarryPotte and the Order of the Phoenix

ISBN: 9781338299182

20th Anniversary Edition of Harry Potter an the Half-Blood Prince

ISBN: 9781338299199

20th Anniversary Edition of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

ISBN: 9781338299205

Jim Kay and MinaLima Editions

NOT rare OR valuable *doesn't include Kay Deluxe editions*

*Deluxe illustrated editions do carry more monetrary value than the regular illustrated editions; 1st print Philosopher's Stone deluxe illustrated edition can sell around $200.

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ISBN: 9780545791441

The Illustrated Edition of Harry Potter and Half-Blood Prince is HERE

Illustrated by Levi Pinfold after Jim Kay stepped down. As of right now (March 2026) Pinfold will be illustrating Deathly Hallows as well.

Out October 6

Pre-Order Today

25 Anniversary Edition
NOT rare OR valuable

Listen to Dialogue Alley discuss the Stenciled-Edge books!

In 2023, Scholastic released their 25th Anniversary edition of the books. They're pretty, but they're definitely paling in grandeur to to other publishers around the world who are also releasing their 25th Anniversary editions as well. Like the 20th Anniversary  edition above, this edition is only available in softcover. Unlike the 20th Anniversary however, Scholastic went back to Mary GrandPre cover art. The front covers are the same with the addition of Book-Specific Gold foiling around the edges as well as on the Harry Potter letters. The spine makes one one image when all the books are on the shelf (much like Kibuishi's art above); if you get the box set, the box art is different from the original 7 box set. If you would like to buy these books, click the picture of book 1.

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Then in 2024, strangely, Scholastic re-released a version of the 25th Anniversary edition of Sorcerer's Stone only (but 2-7 are coming later 2025), but this time the edges are sprayed red with golden yellow snitches; the other books will have different edge stenciling from what I've seen.

ISBN: 9781338878929

ISBN: 9781338878936

ISBN: 9781338878943

ISBN: 9781338878950

ISBN: 9781338878967

ISBN: 9781338878974

ISBN: 9781338878981

25th Anniversary Edition
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ISBN: 9781546148500

In 2024, Scholastic released a "Stenciled Edge Set". Personally (and this is just from me), this set feel like an apology set because Scholastic has seen how great some of the other 25th Anniversary books have been around the world and how terrible theirs is in comparison. I feel like Scholastic released this set the following year to make up for doing such a lackluster job. I only own the first book at this time.

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The box set is nice - I saw it at my local Barnes and Noble. 

ISBN: 9781546172888

Additional Books

In February 2001, Scholastic published these precious Hogwarts School Books. They were published in softcover first before the hardcover box set came out in September 2001. The books initially were quite thin. The books were $3.99 each.

ISBN: 0439295017

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ISBN: 0439295025

As for values of these two books, I paid $10 for the set, shipped, from an eBay seller in 2018.

There are at least two different box sets that were released for these books, and I am fairly certain I have seen a third - I just don't own it yet

ISBN: 043932162X  $12.95

This box set was illustrated by Mary GrandPre and looks to have been issued in 2006.. 

ISBN: 043932162X  $14.99

ISBN: 9780545128285

This edition of Beedle is VERY often sold on eBay and other places as SIGNED/RARE due to the Pre-Printed Rowling signature that is on EVERY edition of this book. While I don't know 1st Print run numbers at this time, I do know many, MANY were printed because they are SUPER EASY to find.

In December 2008, Scholastic published the Tales of Beedle the Bard with cover art by Mary GrandPre. The internal illustrations are by Rowling herself.

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Such a strange little box set. When I first saw it at a used bookstore, I thought the previous owner had kept the Fantastic Beasts and added a Tales of Beedle the Bard, because up until this point I'd only seen those two books sold as a box and Beedle sold separately. But nope, according to the the box itself, the books the contained were correct; however, a Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them that matches this box set was also issued separately. It is quite possible that the Quidditch Through the Ages was swapped by the previous owner. Until I find another set, I cannot compare. 

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Published in 2015 by Scholastic, this edition of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them goes well with the 2-Book Box Set that for some reason didn't include this book.

ISBN: 9780545850568

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In 2017, the Hogwarts School Books were given a make-over with specific attention paid to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which was specifically revised to match the then upcoming movie of the same name.

Box Set ISBN: 9781338132328

Box and books illustrated by HEADCASE DESIGN.

ISBN: 9781338125689

ISBN: 9781338125740

ISBN: 9781338132311

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 At the beginning and end of the Foreword: "To appear only in 'For Wizards' version" ... "Editor's note: for Muggle edition, usual guff: 'obvious fiction - all good fun - nothing to worry about - hope you enjoy it'".

In the revision of Fantastic Beasts, the 1st Print has a fun typo - two paragraphs are missing from the "Hippogriff" section that had been added as part of the revisions. This 1st Print of Fantastic Beasts was sold both in box sets (like mine above) and separately. Scholastic offered buyers of that error print the opportunity to turn it to at bookstore counters w/ receipt of purchase and the buyer could swap it out with fixed copy. I opted to keep my "error print" because I thought it was a fun part of the publishing history. 

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