Scarce and highly sought-after third printing of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3; copyright page credits Joanne Rowling; no space between Thomas Taylor and the year 1997; back and spine of both the book and dust jacket feature the illustration of a young wizard. It does not yet have the Hogwarts shield on the title pages, which was used after the fifth hardback printing. According to Errington (p. 4), the third printing had a publication figure of only 500 hardback copies, similar to that of the first printing. It was also the first issue released with a dust jacket. With the second printing valued in the five-figure range and the first printing in the six-figure range, the third hardback printing represents the most affordable example of the earliest Bloomsbury English edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
A very good copy with bumped spine ends and bumped corners, showing some shelf wear. There is an inscription on the front pastedown, largely concealed beneath the front flap of the dust jacket. The pages are otherwise clean, with only a very slight crease to the first few leaves and a light crease to the lower corner of several pages.
The book is accompanied by a very good, unclipped first-state dust jacket with minor shelf wear and corner wear, but without fading to the spine. This first-state dust jacket differs in colour tones from those of all subsequent issues. Protected by a removable transparent cover.
