Scarce first edition, first printing (with number line 10–1) of the adult edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, published on 11 September 1998 in an unknown but very limited print run.
According to Philip Errington’s bibliography [p. 13], Bloomsbury issued the adult edition shortly after the first trade (children’s) edition, prompted by a staff member who noticed during a train journey that adults were secretly reading the children’s book. Other sources, however, suggest that this version was released because the hugely successful book—classified as children’s literature—was, to the publisher’s frustration, absent from bestseller lists for adult fiction.
The book has been gently read, with a slight reading crease along the spine. The cover corners show mild bumping, with a light crease to the lower corner. The binding remains firm; there is no writing inside, and no stains. A collectible copy of this very early first adult edition.
Only the first four volumes were issued by Bloomsbury in this paperback format with photographic covers by O. Winston Link. Shortly after the release of the fifth book, the series was replaced by a second adult edition—hardbacks featuring photographic covers by Michael Wildsmith.
