Identification points are listed only where two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 21 Oct 2026.
Buy a copy: eBay
No sales recorded yet
We value a printing from verified sales of that exact printing, and none of the first impression has come to auction in our records so far. The chart and the value by condition appear here as soon as one does.
Pro members with this book on their wantlist are emailed when it sells under their price.
The novel was first published in 1998 by Simon and Schuster in New York and by Bloomsbury in London; the Bloomsbury hardback in dust jacket is the first British edition. Dealers identify the first printing by a full number line on the copyright page; a shortened line means a later impression.
Bloomsbury's most collected books, the Harry Potter first impressions, are identified on the copyright page: the first publication year as the only date and a number line running all the way down to 1.
Read the full guide to Bloomsbury Publishing first editions, decade by decade, and check your copy's copyright page against it. Our number line decoder reads the printing from the row of numbers.
We have not yet confirmed the issue points that tell this first impression from later ones. Until we do, compare your copy's title page and copyright page with the publisher, place and year above: any later printing or edition statement means it is not this one.
Know the points? Tell us. We publish them, with credit, once a second source agrees.
Bloomsbury Publishing, london, in 1998, in hardback.
Points of issue are listed only where at least two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 21 October 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.
For most books published since the 1920s, the original dust jacket carries a large share of the value, often most …
Read the guide →7 min readTo identify a first edition, check that your copy is the first printing of the first edition. Read the copyright …
Read the guide →6 min readBook condition grading uses a six-step trade scale: Fine, Near Fine, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor. Collectors grade the …
Read the guide →