HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS

London: Bloomsbury, 1999. First issue of the deluxe edition. With an illustrated titlepage and with letter reproduction at the end. 8vo, publisher’s original blue cloth lettered and with a colour pictorial pastedown on the upper cover, the spine gilt lettered, a.e.g. and with silk bookmark stitched in. This edition was issued without a dustjacket. 251, [4]. An extremely fine copy, as mint. FIRST DELUXE EDITION OF THE SECOND HARRY POTTER BOOK, in the extremely handsome binding for the edition of full powder blue cloth with a colour pictorial pastedown. The issuance of a deluxe edition so shortly after the initial publication of this, only the second title in the series, clearly shows the impact Ms. Rowling’s books have had on the modern book trade. Almost immediately after the publication of the first title, Rowling’s “Potter” books gained worldwide attention, won multiple awards, and have to date sold more than 400 million copies.
Rowling is nearly as famous for her rags to riches story. She wrote the first of the series on a used manual typewriter while living on welfare in 1995. She was rejected by 12 publishers before finding Bloomsbury, who suggested that she should also find a day job as there was no money to be made in children’s books. By 2007 Forbes had named Rowling as the first person to become a U.S.-dollar billionaire by writing books, the second-richest female in an entertainment industry, and the 1,062nd richest person in the world.