Wondering if you've got a first edition?

1) Find your books

2) Turn to the copyright page

3) Look at the bottom of the page. There should be a ten digit number (not the ISBN).

4) If this number reads 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1, in that order, your book is a first edition. Around ten thousand of books two and three were printed as first editions in the UK. For book four, the words "first edition" will be written on the page.

If you're looking for a first edition, try small bookshops where they're not likely to have been swamped by fans as the larger ones will have been. I got a first edition Prisoner of Azkaban five or six months after release in our local bookshop, so go and have a ferret around! That said, Kat got a first edition Goblet of Fire when she placed an order at WH Smith, so if you've already ordered your copy of book five from a big chain, don't despair! Just keep it in good condition if it is a first edition, would you?

Btw, in February 2002 a first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone sold at auction in London for the amazing sum of £9,700. So keep yours in good condition! You've been warned!