# Is "Quidditch Through the Ages" by J.K. Rowling (as Kennilworthy Whisp) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Quidditch Through the Ages by J.K. Rowling (as Kennilworthy Whisp) (Bloomsbury / Whizz Hard 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)
- Issued alongside Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them; a separate Scholastic (US) paperback issue appeared the same year
- Publisher imprint reads Bloomsbury / Whizz Hard Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | J.K. Rowling (as Kennilworthy Whisp) |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury / Whizz Hard 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). Issued alongside Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them; 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 2020 illustrated hardcover by Emily Gravett. Confirm the 2001 charity wrappers and green spine.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The 2001 second printing has a red spine. The 2020 illustrated edition is later; boxed 'Hogwarts Library' sets are not the original separate first issue.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Quidditch Through the Ages* by J.K. Rowling (as Kennilworthy Whisp) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/quidditch-through-the-ages
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.