The Philosopher's Stone is currently the most sought-after book in the world, and competes with the likes of Shakespeare's Folio in terms of fame. The first editions and early reprints are scarce, being published in small quantities for release to the general public who were as yet unfamiliar with the Wizarding World.
While later printings of the now world-famous book do not sit on the market at top prices, they certainly are increasing in value and are becoming harder to obtain. This has resulted in households rummaging for their well-read book in the back of the bookcase and checking whether it meets any of the criteria set out in bibliographies.
We at St Mary's Books see hundreds of copies of this title, and are always on the lookout for early printings. A recent acquisition of one such early reprint has shed light on what appears to be an anomaly in the recorded publication history.
A first edition hardback, in its original dust jacket, which features a 'young wizard' to the spine and rear cover are easy indicators for early copies. This is a 27th impression and is still dated 1997, although it is likely to have been printed later.
According to most resources that record the publication history, after the 15th impression of the book this 'young wizard' is changed to an illustration depicting an older wizard; a more accurate portrayal of Albus Dumbledore. This occurred because at the time of publication, illustrator Cliff Wright had not read the book and simply dreamt up a wizarding character.
Comparing with other copies that have appeared on the market, the impressions before and after our copy depict an older Dumbledore.
Another key point in identifying editions is the text at the bottom of the front cover. First editions quote a review from Wendy Cooling. 16th impressions and later say "Triple Smarties Gold Award Winner". 15th impressions and earlier say "Winner of the 1997 Smarties Gold Award". Our 27th impression copy uses the 'winner of' wording of the earlier books.
Finally, there were several corrections made within the text itself. Fifteen in total are listed in Errington's updated bibliography of 2017. Our 27th impression has the earlier version of the text in all instances except for the repetition of '1 wand' on page 53.
The conclusion we have drawn is that this impression was simply issued using an earlier version of the book, and is an anomaly. There isn't an indication of how many of this particular impression were produced, and there currently isn't a way of knowing how many other such 'anomalies' are out there.
With the multi-million pound franchise and the ever-growing industry surrounding Harry Potter, the books will continue to be studied with keen interest and treasured.
St Mary's Books encourage all to check their personal copies of the book, and we can assist you with identifying any key points.
