What makes a book a first edition?

[charliecat]

How do you know by looking at it? Picked up a paperback today that on the surface looks like \link{http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HARRY-POTTER-PHILOSOPHERS-STONE-HARDBACK-FIRST-EDITION_W0QQitemZ7019294610QQcategoryZ90962QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem\this} except his is hardbacked and laminated. How does he know. How would i know??

What does it say on the inside cover? Does it say how many times it has been reprinted? It generally says what edition it is.

from \link{http://www.theweeweb.co.uk/public/article_details.php?article_id=44\stuff like this} I spose. I guess the information comes from the publisher?

It is kind of trainspottery though - who cares which page the Hogwarts crest is on? It's amazing how much people will pay for those things.

Fingers crossed for you!

from \link{http://www.theweeweb.co.uk/public/article_details.php?article_id=44\stuff like this} I spose. I guess the information comes from the publisher?

It is kind of trainspottery though - who cares which page the Hogwarts crest is on? It's amazing how much people will pay for those things.

Fingers crossed for you!

It is very trainspotty-like!

it appears to be first edition according to that website someone else linked but it says that it should have the numbers 10 down to 1 whereas the ebay one only had 10 down to 5
the isdn is the same. depends if u want to risk £20 or more on something that may not be as it says it is. the description talks about marks i would also be worried that i would then be stuck with a first edition (assuming it is) that i couldn't sell on

i stand corrected (x posts with hf) u can sell them on "used and abused"

it doesnt say it has been reprinted..its number are 50 49 49 47 46

THINK IT WAS 46TH RUN NOW!!!!!!!!!!

I think that ebay item is a fifth impression of the first edition. A first edition is the first time something has been published and printed. If there is another print run, exactly the same as the first, then it that becomes the second impressions. And so on. If a change is made, even a very small one, and then printed again, then that is a second edition (first impression). And so on.

With regard to HP and PS, the extremely rare edition is, I believe, the first edition, first impression, because there were only 300 or so of them and they all went to libraries. That's why they're rare and the condition tends not to be great. A proper first edition goes for thousands. I don't think this is one of those.

I'm prepared to be corrected though!

That ebay one is a 5th print 1st edition so has the numbers 10 9 8 7 6 5 "proper" 1st editions have 10 down to 1 IIRC.

Actually, I don't understand how this can be a first edition of any sort if it states that it won the Smarties Prize on the front. It couldn't have been entered for the Smarties Prize until it was published, so they wouldn't have been able to state that it had won!

Actually, I don't understand how this can be a first edition of any sort if it states that it won the Smarties Prize on the front. It couldn't have been entered for the Smarties Prize until it was published,

But if this is a first edition 5th impression could it not be that either the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th impressions won it the Smarties Prize??

how can it be a fifth first first ed?
Dont get this at all...

I also wondered about the smartie prize bit too

actually scrap my last post - just read your post explaining how even smalls changes would it make it a 2nd edition

\link{http://www.peter-harrington-books.com/phbooks/bookstore.nsf/x/4413BA045BC2F1A880256F0C00542128?opendocument\This} is a picture of a genuine first edition.

I have a friend who has an actual first edition of HP1 - she ordered it in the local bookshop for her daughter's 10th birthday in July 1997, because it had been recommended in the Guardian. It now lives in a plastic bag but was read by the whole family along the way so it's not pristine, but is still worth 4-5 figures. (I think there were more than 300 in the first print run, pg)

It had to be reprinted to meet demand, Charliecat. It's a reprint, not a new edition.

Yes, HRH, it could be a fifth edn of the first impression, but that wouldn't make it worth thousands of pounds. Only the first impression of the first edition is worth megabucks. Well, £18k according to the site I've just linked.

The change is to the cover though, not the inside. Does that make a differnce? I think the seller is trying his luck though.

June 1997 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone published by Bloomsbury.
November 1997 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone wins the Nestlé Smarties Gold Award 9-11 years.

February 1998 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone wins the Children's Book of the Year Award at the prestigious British Book Awards.

June 1998 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone wins the Children's Book Award.

JanH, the 300 figure was off the top of my head, but the site I linked gives that figure too. First impression though, no idea how many first edns there are all together!

I'm erring on it being a genuine 1st edition, 5th impression - the seller themselves admit they're no book dealers - they may not realise that being the 5th impression makes it worth much less??

mine says 1997 on it somewhere, remembered this as it was the year dd was born! must be after now with the smartie thing

Yes, SoupDragon, any change does make a difference. This seller is really truing his luck IMO. I think he's also not as precise as you'd want him to be "similar copies", "I think"... I'm not sure that he's really sure what he's got! And if he really thought it was worth thousands, why would he be selling it on ebay at such a low starting price? He'd be better off at a book auctioneers. These are highly sought after by collectors.