Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2003)

A Bloomsbury first edition of Order of the Phoenix states both First published in Great Britain in 2003 and First edition on the copyright page. If the edition statement is missing or a later printing is named, the book is not a first printing.

The first printing ran to a very large number of copies, so a first edition is easy to find. Value comes from condition, a clean jacket and, occasionally, a verified signature.

What to look for:

• Copyright page: First published in Great Britain in 2003, and First edition.
• ISBN 0 7475 5100 6 for the standard children's edition.
• Pictorial boards under a pictorial dust jacket.

The main trap is the other editions Bloomsbury published at the same time. An adult-cover edition and a deluxe edition share the text and the year but have different ISBNs and covers, and they are valued separately. Check the ISBN as well as the date before comparing prices.

When grading, pay attention to the jacket. This is a heavy book, and jackets on read copies are often torn at the spine ends or faded on the spine panel. A first edition in a bright, unclipped jacket is worth noticeably more than the same book in a worn one.

Sources: dealer descriptions quoting the copyright page, and Open Library's edition records.