Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, UK Uncorrected Purple Proof, J.K. Rowling, Bloomsbury 1999, Fine

J.K. Rowling

ISBN 10: 0747542155 / ISBN 13: 9780747542155

Published by Bloomsbury, United Kingdom, 1999

About this Item

Uncorrected proof copy of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, One of only 31 copies to exist, many of which are believed to have been read and discarded by the reviewers who Bloomsbury sent the books out to pre-publication, which means the purple variant is an exceptionally rare book. Only recently in January 2025 a memo was found dated 14th January 1999 from Roz de la Hay at Bloomsbury Head Office. The memo discusses the print run and discloses the exact number of copies between the purple proof (being only 31 copies) and  the green proof (being 150 copies printed). Previously to this memo being found, collectors and Harry Potter experts believed there were 50 purple copies and 250 green copies printed. These findings could mean an increase in value of both of these proofs going forward.

This is an unread copy in superb condition with sharp edges and a square and tight binding. It has a touch of shelf wear to the top edge otherwise fine condition. It is internally clean with no unwanted marks, dog eared pages or ownership inscriptions. It comes housed in a dark green quarter leather clamshell box made by the Chelsea Bindery specifically for this book.

Seller Inventory # 273

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, UK Uncorrected Purple Proof, J.K. Rowling, Bloomsbury 1999, Fine
• Publisher: Bloomsbury, United Kingdom
• Publication Date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0747542155
• ISBN 13: 9780747542155
• Binding: Soft cover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Printing: 1st Printing
• Condition: Fine

About this title

Synopsis

Tenth edition hardcover with unclipped dust jacket, in good condition. Jacket is worn, and edges are creased and nicked. Board corners and spine ends are bumped and rubbed, and spine is slightly cocked. Page block and page edges are tanned, and previous owner's name penned to FEP. A few of the page corners are dog-eared. Semi hinge break at title page, however binding remains sound, and pages are clear. LW

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