Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (1998)

A first impression of the Bloomsbury hardback of Chamber of Secrets has a copyright page dated 1998, naming Bloomsbury, with a full number line ending in 1. If the line stops at 2 or higher, it is a later printing.

Unlike Philosopher's Stone, this hardback was issued in a pictorial dust jacket over matching pictorial boards, both with Cliff Wright's art. The jacket matters a great deal to value, so check that it belongs with the book. Jackets from later printings can be swapped onto first-impression books, and the book's copyright page is the only reliable guide to the printing.

What to look for:

• Copyright page: First published in Great Britain in 1998, Bloomsbury, and the number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1.
• ISBN 0 7475 3849 2. The first paperback has a different ISBN, 0 7475 3848 4, and is often listed online as the hardback, so a matching ISBN is a useful first filter when buying.
• Pictorial boards under a pictorial jacket.

Grade the book and the jacket separately, as the trade does. A Very Good book in a Good jacket is usually priced on the jacket.

Sources: the Sotheby's guide to identifying Harry Potter first editions and descriptions by UK specialist dealers. ISBNs agree across Open Library and Biblio records.