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

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling (Arthur A. Levine / Scholastic, 1998) is identified by: First US printing: the copyright page carries the interleaved number line '1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2' (NOT a straight countdown), followed by the line 'Printed in the U.S.A. This is the senior US edition (the retitled American first), separate from and later than the UK Bloomsbury true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First US printing: the copyright page carries the interleaved number line '1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2' (NOT a straight countdown), followed by the line 'Printed in the U.S.A. 23' and the statement 'First American edition, October 1998.' The name 'J.K. Rowling' is printed in full at the head of the spine
- Purple boards with an embossed diamond pattern and a red cloth spine
- 309 pages
- First-state dust jacket: raised gold title lettering, a review quote from The Guardian on the rear panel (not from Publishers Weekly), no 'Year 1' numeral at the head of the jacket spine, and the printed price intact on the front flap
- 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 | First US printing: the copyright page carries the interleaved number line '1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2' (NOT a straight countdown), followed by… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First US printing: the copyright page carries the interleaved number line '1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2' (NOT a straight countdown), followed by the line 'Printed in the U.S.A. 23' and the statement 'First American edition, October 1998.' The name 'J.K. Rowling' is printed in full at the head of the spine. Purple boards with an embossed diamond pattern and a red cloth spine; 309 pages. First-state dust jacket: raised gold title lettering, a review quote from The Guardian on the rear panel (not from Publishers Weekly), no 'Year 1' numeral at the head of the jacket spine, and the printed price intact on the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
This is the senior US edition (the retitled American first), separate from and later than the UK Bloomsbury true first. Among US copies the first printing is the desirable state, identified by the 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 line, the '23' code, and the no-'1'-on-spine first-state jacket.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later US printings add a numeral '1' at the head of the spine and change the 'Printed in the U.S.A.' code; book-club editions lack the printed jacket price and the '23' code. The 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 line plus the '23' code plus the no-'1'-spine jacket marks the true first American printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone* by J. K. Rowling a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/harry-potter-and-the-sorcerers-stone
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.