A truly exceptional example of a very early Softcover UK Bloomsbury first edition, twelfth printing of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, released just a few months after the first edition on June 26, 1997. This unread book is in pristine condition and looks as if it just came out of the bookstore yesterday. The cover, featuring the later-replaced illustration of the young smoking wizard on the back, is like new, with bright colors and no wear. The binding is as new, and the pages are still completely crisp, without the usual browning of the page edges. The author's name is listed as 'Joanne Rowling' instead of 'J.K. Rowling,' and there's no space between the name of the illustrator Thomas Taylor and the year 1997 on the copyright page. This is by far the finest copy of such an early edition that we have ever come across, making it a fantastic and highly affordable collectible of this iconic book.
