Gary,
if you go to eBay, the massive online auction site, and do a simple search
for Harry Potter you'll see why people are tempted to steal first
editions, although those with library stamps, labels and covers may be of
less value of course. http://www.ebay.com or http://www.ebay.co.uk show
400, 500 and more for Ist editions, and US collectors may well be bidding
more for UK firsts as they're harder for them to get perhaps. Modern first
editions is often an unexpectedly expensive area of book collecting,
maybe libraries should make sure they only order reprints and book club
editions :-)
Mark Kerr
SBU
On Fri, 18 Aug 2000, Nugent, Gary wrote:
> Does anybody know the current valuations of first editions of Harry Potter
> books (both hardback and paperback)? Or a useful website where this
> information can be obtained? We recently had one borrower who informed us
> that one of the Harry Potter books in our stock was worth £300. However, he
> was by no means and expert, his sole source of information obtained from
> watching the TV programme "Find a Fortune"
>
> As well as the need to know if we are sitting on a small fortune in Harry
> Potter books (which I very much doubt) is the need to prevent our Harry
> Potter books disappearing off the shelves and not being returned, because
> people have been led to believe they are worth a small fortune!
>
> I have had a brief trawl of the Internet and found only the odd piece of
> information (see below).
>
> I will summarize for the list.
>
> Gary Nugent - (Stock Manager, North East Lincs)
>
> Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets. First paperback
> edition, Bloomsbury 1998. [31471]
> Fine £45
>
> Of course, the Harry Potter books are proving the exception to every rule.
> The first Harry Potter had a print run of only 300 in hardback, most of
> which went to school libraries and, after the tender ministrations of tiny
> hands, it is now very difficult to get hold of a copy in good condition.
> The third had a much bigger initial print run, of 10,000 but even this one
> has caused controversy. Half way through the run someone noticed a set of
> mistakes on the title page - amongst other things, J.K. Rowling's name was
> down as Joanne Rowling - and stopped the press for corrections. There are
> now 5,000 of each and while both are technically first editions, a purist
> would insist on the first - which, needless to say, is already very hard to
> come by.
>
>
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