I just came across this thread, it took nearly an hour to read in threaded mode (flat mode went all weird after the first page), so a) apologies to any contributors that I have missed b) sympathy to anyone new to the site with less than 1,000,000 hours of spare time on your hands, you will never be able to read it all. I’m saving some of it for my retirement (in twenty years time, unless I win the lottery first).

A few points that don’t appear to have been fully answered:

1. Xara – did you get your books? If not, I’d be happy to help.

2. First editions – I wouldn’t get too excited about the “Goblet of Fire” first edition. Almost everyone I know has one (many of them are signed as Jo R is a local) – see the numbers mentioned on the Bloomsbury (UK publishers) website:
How many UK first edition copies were printed of the Harry Potter books?
First hardback print runs: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone: 500, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: 10,150, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: 10,000, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: 1 million.
http://www.bloomsburymagazine.com/harrypotter/muggles/faq/faq.asp

3. Differences

Here are a couple of points from a “chat” with the US publisher:


Lake Jackson, Texas: How come the UK versions of the Harry Potter books are shorter?

Arthur Levine: If you look at the way the books are typeset, you can see that the UK versions put less space between the lines. They have also not chosen to include chapter opening decorations (like the ones another reader praised by Mary Grandpre). We like our design, and think it's beautiful and a pleasure to read.

Carlisle PA: In volume 3 page 1 ,why was the name of the author of History of Magic changed from Adalbert Waffling to Bathilda Bagshot in going from the British to American Editions ?

Arthur Levine: Because we must have caught a typographical error that (apparently) the British editors missed. In SORCERER'S STONE (p.66) The author of A HISTORY OF MAGIC is identified as Bathilda Bagshot
http://www.usatoday.com/community/chat/0628levine.htm



3a. Miles – Harry would say miles because we measure distances in miles and our road signs give speed limits in miles per hour. The fact that we buy our petrol in litres and we can’t work out miles to the gallon without hard sums or that we can buy two metres of 48” wide fabric does causes occasional consternation but be muddle along (or is that muggle along).

3b. English muffins – Helen of Troy, is completely right. Late one night in another time Anna S and I compared US and UK editions and worked that out for ourselves. AnnaS had heard me mention that I had never seen an English muffin before my trip to the US in the eighties and there it was in print. Helen is right the two are not interchangeable and I think was the result of over-enthusiastic translation by the US editors. At the time of publishing the first edition they were really looking at a book published by an Edinburgh-based single parent, hoping for a few sales to allow her the time of work to write the second in the series. She now says that she would never have let them change the title if the power relationship had been a little less one-sided.

3c. Soccer – I suspect that our edition says football, you’ll have to give me a reference to check it, we do use soccer as a term, especially in circles where rugby is considered to be more important that footie (I wonder if the down under edition mentions footie – I’d love to see an Aussie/Kiwi translation). Part of the international acclaim that books have received must be down to the fact that most terms, like Quiddich are international.

I am in the process of collecting the US editions, so send me a private mail if you need any help with getting the UK editions.

Jo