Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
First UK Edition, 6th Printing, Paperback, J.K. Rowling, Bloomsbury 1997
This could be one of the rarest early UK Bloomsbury paperback issues of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. The sixth UK printing is so elusive that some collectors speculate it may have been extremely limited—or possibly even largely withdrawn. Why this sixth Bloomsbury paperback printing is so scarce remains uncertain. One possible explanation relates to design changes: after the fifth printing, the Wendy Cooling endorsement was replaced with a quote from The Sunday Telegraph. Additionally, the base of the spine lettering background where it says Bloomsbury was altered from yellow to pink. It’s possible that this redesign was not approved, leading to the withdrawal of much of the print run.
The book is in very good condition, with clear signs of shelf wear, which include minor fading to the spine, creases to the front and back covers, most notably to the lower right side of the front cover and the upper left side of the rear cover. The spine however shows no reading creases at all, meaning that this copy was in fact never read. Internally the book is exceptionally clean with no writing, no unwanted marks or ownership inscriptions. Some age related toning to the page edges as is always the case with these early paperbacks.
An exceptionally uncommon early Harry Potter collectible.
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by Leanne O'Leary
