Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Special Edition) - Hardcover

Rowling, J. K.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0747545111 ISBN 13: 9780747545118

Publisher: Bloomsbury, 1999

Synopsis

Specially produced British collectible edition of the third volume in the Harry Potter Series. THE most collectible volume in the series due to a print error and a limited print run. "Joanne Rowling" is printed as author on the copyright page, not "J.K. Rowling" as preferred by the publicist. This was not corrected until later printings. The first print run (or impression) was limited to approximately 4,000 copies (some dealers say even fewer). First printings are identified by the presence of a full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 on the copyright page. The second print run also contains the "Joanne Rowling" credit and was also relatively small, making it an affordable alternative to the first printing for many collectors. Prices decline with subsequent printings and editions. Product details: Bright green cloth-bound boards with gilt lettering, gilt-stamped JK Rowling signature & gilted page-ends; pictorial onlay; full-color harlequin endpapers; unique typeset, illustrations and paper quality all make this a valuable addition to any collector's library. Ships well-packaged and protected.

About this title

Review:

For most children, summer vacation is something to look forward to. But not for our 13-year-old hero, who's forced to spend his summers with an aunt, uncle, and cousin who detest him. The third book in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series catapults into action when the young wizard "accidentally" causes the Dursleys' dreadful visitor Aunt Marge to inflate like a monstrous balloon and drift up to the ceiling. Fearing punishment from Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon (and from officials at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry who strictly forbid students to cast spells in the nonmagic world of Muggles), Harry lunges out into the darkness with his heavy trunk and his owl Hedwig.

As it turns out, Harry isn't punished at all for his errant wizardry. Instead he is mysteriously rescued from his Muggle neighborhood and whisked off in a triple-decker, violently purple bus to spend the remaining weeks of summer in a friendly inn called the Leaky Cauldron. What Harry has to face as he begins his third year at Hogwarts explains why the officials let him off easily. It seems that Sirius Black--an escaped convict from the prison of Azkaban--is on the loose. Not only that, but he's after Harry Potter. But why? And why do the Dementors, the guards hired to protect him, chill Harry's very heart when others are unaffected? Once again, Rowling has created a mystery that will have children and adults cheering, not to mention standing in line for her next book. Fortunately, there are four more in the works. (Ages 9 and older) --Karin Snelson

From the Inside Flap:

Read by Jim Dale
Running time: 11 hrs., 48 mins. 10 CDs.
For twelve long years, the dread fortress of Azkaban held an infamous prisoner named Sirius Black. Convicted of killing thirteen people with a single curse, he was said to be the heir apparent to the Dark Lord, Voldemort.
Now he has escaped, leaving only two clues as to where he might be headed: Harry Potter's defeat of You-Know-Who was Black's downfall as well. And the Azkban guards heard Black muttering in his sleep, "He's at Hogwarts...he's at Hogwarts."
Harry Potter isn't safe, not even within the walls of his magical school, surrounded by his friends. Because on top of it all, there may well be a traitor in their midst.

About this edition

• Publisher: Bloomsbury
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0747545111
• ISBN 13: 9780747545118
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 317
• Illustrator: Grandpré Mary