Extremely scarce copy of a first edition, second hardback printing of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Numberline 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2. Printed shortly after the initial hardback release of 26 June 1997, the second printing had a tiny run of only 1,000 copies (see Errington, p. 4) and, like the first, was issued without a dust jacket. Apart from the first printing, it is the only hardback edition to feature the Wendy Cooling quote — “A terrific read and a stunning first novel” — on the front cover, making the frontcover design identical to that of the true first printing.
Several well-known textual errors found in the first impression were corrected in this printing: on the rear cover, “Philosopher’s” was previously misspelled as “Philospher’s,” “Wizardry and Witchcraft” appeared as “Witchcraft and Wizardry,” and on page 53 “1 wand” was listed twice.
Second printings appear only very rarely on the market and are highly sought after, offering collectors a more financially accessible alternative to the exceptionally costly first printing.
Condition: spine ends and corners worn, with some rubbing along the board edges. The spine is faded, with light fading to the upper edge of the front cover. The fragile laminate remains largely intact. Binding firm; endpapers clean. Some finger soiling, mainly to the first and last leaves. Otherwise the text block is clean and without damage. A good example of this elusive edition, housed in a custom half-leather clamshell box.
