Your Harry Potter book collection has been good to you throughout the years. They brought you all of the magic, mystery and adventure of J.K. Rowling's seven-part series in probably more than one reading. You might have read them at school, with friends or on vacation. You might have even used them to perform a detailed comparison between the books and the movies.
Long story short, your Harry Potter books have probably been a huge part of your life since they entered the world in 1997, starting with the release of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. I'm sure they hold a special place in your heart. But have you ever given even a teensy-weensy thought to how much these books might be worth if you were to sell them?
Come on, don't act like that would totally be out of the question. They've been well loved. You've had a good run with them. No, money can't buy you love, but it can buy you a diamond-encrusted Apple Watch and new copies of the Harry Potter books so you can still enjoy the stories for years to come.
Well, if you do change your mind about selling your Harry Potter books, Philip W. Errington has some tips to help you determine whether or not they're actually worth anything in his upcoming book J.K. Rowling: A Bibliography 1997-2013. Entertainment Weekly gives us a little sneak peek at what Errington suggests in a chart in his book.
Basically, the only versions of the books that are going to be worth any real money are the U.K. versions printed by the publisher Bloomsbury. The hardcover version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone featuring Harry standing by a train that was printed by Bloomsbury is going to have the highest commercial value. Certain versions of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban printed by Bloomsbury will also be worth some money.
However, the American editions of the Harry Potter books aren't totally worthless. If you've got a hardback edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone published by Scholastic that's not the American Book Club edition, it also might have some value. Unfortunately, if you were a later adopter of the series with deluxe editions of the books or later titles like the fourth book Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire through the seventh book Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, your books probably won't be worth much because they were printed in such mass quantities.
Oh well. At least that means you can keep them without feeling like you're missing out on any moolah.
Head over to Entertainment Weekly to find out all of the details, and check out Errington's book J.K. Rowling: A Bibliography 1997-2013 for the full chart.
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