Pristine copy of the scarce first edition, fourth UK Bloomsbury printing of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, with a number line of 10 9 8 7 6 5 4. According to Errington [p.4], the fourth 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 after the fifth hardback printing.The first and second Hardback printings were issued without a dust jacket; the fourth printing was the second to include a dust jacket.
Exceptionally fine pictorial boards with bright colors, sharp spine ends, and corners. The binding is very tight; the book is even slightly crispy when opening. Undoubtedly an unread copy. The endpapers are clean, with no marks, inscriptions, or stamps. The pages are unusually bright and lack the usual browning at the edges. The first edition, unclipped dust jacket is also in a pristine condition, without any wear, featuring vibrant colors and no fading whatsoever.
An excellent copy, now protected by a Brodart removable archival book cover.
