Near fine copy of the scarce first edition, fifth UK Bloomsbury printing of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, with a number line of 10 9 8 7 6 5. According to Errington [p.4], the fifth printing had a publication figure of only 500 hardback copies. The copyright page credits Joanne Rowling with no space between Thomas Taylor and the year. This early printing features the original illustration of the brown-haired young wizard on the reverse and spine, which was later replaced by an image of Dumbledore. It does not yet have the Hogwarts shield on the title pages, which was used in all subsequent printings.
The cover has a bumped lowers pine end, sharp upper spine end and corners. The binding is tight, and the endpapers are clean with no marks, inscriptions, or stamps. Pages are bright without the usual browning to the edges. The book is undoubtedly unread. The first edition unclipped dust jacket is in a near fine condition with minor shelf and edgewear. The colours of the jacket are bright without fading. Now protected by a Brodart removable archival book cover. A nice copy of this scarce Harry Potter book.
