# Is "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (US)" by J.K. Rowling a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (US) by J.K. Rowling (Arthur A. Levine / Scholastic, 1998) is identified by: Copyright page reads 'First American edition, October 1998', with number line '1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2' and 'Printed in the U.S.A. US first edition, retitled 'Sorcerer's Stone'; secondary to the 1997 Bloomsbury (London) world first, which used 'Philosopher's Stone'.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Copyright page reads 'First American edition, October 1998', with number line '1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2' and 'Printed in the U.S.A. 23' immediately above the edition statement
- Magenta/fuchsia cloth-backed boards with a purple diamond-pattern paper over the panels; 'J.K. ROWLING' at the head of the spine
- First-state dust jacket has no 'Year 1' badge on the spine and carries the rear-panel review quote from The Guardian (London), with the price on the front flap
- The Guardian-quote jacket appears only on the first and second printings
- Publisher imprint reads Arthur A. Levine / Scholastic
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | J.K. Rowling |
| Publisher | Arthur A. Levine / Scholastic |
| Year | 1998 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | Copyright page reads 'First American edition, October 1998', with number line '1 3 5 7 9… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Copyright page reads 'First American edition, October 1998', with number line '1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2' and 'Printed in the U.S.A. 23' immediately above the edition statement. Magenta/fuchsia cloth-backed boards with a purple diamond-pattern paper over the panels; 'J.K. ROWLING' at the head of the spine. First-state dust jacket has no 'Year 1' badge on the spine and carries the rear-panel review quote from The Guardian (London), with the price on the front flap. The Guardian-quote jacket appears only on the first and second printings.

## Is this the true first?
US first edition, retitled 'Sorcerer's Stone'; secondary to the 1997 Bloomsbury (London) world first, which used 'Philosopher's Stone'.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings from the 23rd run onward add the 'Year 1' badge to the spine; intermediate printings advance the number line and eventually swap the rear jacket quote and carry corrected text. Book-club issues lack the flap price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (US)* by J.K. Rowling a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/harry-potter-and-the-sorcerers-stone-us
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.