# Is "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" by J.K. Rowling (as Newt Scamander) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J.K. Rowling (as Newt Scamander) (Bloomsbury / Obscurus Books, 2001) is identified by: First UK edition, first printing is a paperback original (Comic Relief charity edition), March 2001, with a full descending number line to 1 on the copyright page. UK Bloomsbury / Comic Relief paperback original is the true first (March 2001).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First UK edition, first printing is a paperback original (Comic Relief charity edition), March 2001, with a full descending number line to 1 on the copyright page
- First printings have a green spine (the second printing has a red spine)
- Mock in-text 'library' annotations attributed to Harry and Ron are printed throughout
- Issued alongside Quidditch Through the Ages; a separate Scholastic (US) paperback issue appeared the same year
- Publisher imprint reads Bloomsbury / Obscurus Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | J.K. Rowling (as Newt Scamander) |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury / Obscurus Books |
| Year | 2001 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First UK edition, first printing is a paperback original (Comic Relief charity edition)… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First UK edition, first printing is a paperback original (Comic Relief charity edition), March 2001, with a full descending number line to 1 on the copyright page. First printings have a green spine (the second printing has a red spine). Mock in-text 'library' annotations attributed to Harry and Ron are printed throughout. Issued alongside Quidditch Through the Ages; a separate Scholastic (US) paperback issue appeared the same year.

## Is this the true first?
UK Bloomsbury / Comic Relief paperback original is the true first (March 2001). Distinct from the 2017 Bloomsbury illustrated hardcover and from the unrelated 2016 film screenplay. Confirm the 2001 charity-imprint wrappers and green spine.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The 2001 second printing has a red spine. The 2009 'new edition', the 2017 illustrated hardcover, and later boxed 'Hogwarts Library' sets are all later and not the first; the 2016 'Original Screenplay' is a separate work.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them* by J.K. Rowling (as Newt Scamander) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/fantastic-beasts-and-where-to-find-them
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.