Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2000)

A Bloomsbury first edition of Goblet of Fire says so: the words First Edition are printed on the copyright page, below the printer and typesetter credits. That statement is the first thing to check.

The first printing was very large. That changes how you value it. Unlike the first three titles, a first edition is not rare in itself, and condition decides almost everything.

What to look for:

• Copyright page: First Edition below the printer and typesetter credits.
• ISBN 0 7475 4624 X.
• 636 pages.
• A pictorial dust jacket with Giles Greenfield's art, over pictorial boards that repeat the jacket design.

Look closely at the jacket. A first edition in a clean, unfaded, unclipped jacket is worth several times one in a torn or price-clipped jacket, and jackets are easily swapped between printings. The book's copyright page is what proves the printing.

Signed copies need provenance. Many signed copies exist from signing events, but so do forgeries, and a signature without evidence adds little.

Sources: the Sotheby's guide to identifying Harry Potter first editions and descriptions by UK specialist dealers. ISBN and page count from Open Library.