Scholastic Publishing Paperback “Harry Potter” Series with Stenciled Edges
The publishing trend of stenciled edges has now found its way to Harry Potter. Particularly popular among fantasy books, sprayed edges may see the top, bottom, and fore edges of a book decorated with a solid color, while stenciled edges refer to a more elaborate sprayed-edge design. The trend is a reincarnation of the gilt or colored edges sometimes applied to books in the past to protect them from dust and moisture, except now it’s mostly an aesthetic consideration to attract book lovers who prefer physical books to e-books.
On October 1 of this year, Scholastic released a new version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in paperback, with stenciled edges depicting stars and Golden Snitches.
It appears collectors were happy to snatch up that edition because the remaining six Harry Potter books are now scheduled to have stenciled-edge paperbacks released on July 1, 2025.
Each of these versions has the same cover design as Scholastic’s 25th-anniversary editions, which were released last year. These feature Mary Grandpré’s original cover art with a decorative gold-colored border. Each of the stenciled-edge designs features a pattern of stars alongside the same item that appears in the corners of the borders of the 25th-anniversary editions: respectively, a Golden Snitch, Tom Riddle’s diary, a stag, the Goblet of Fire, feathers, the Resurrection Stone, and a pair of crossed wands.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban are each listed for US$14.99, and they are available to buy or preorder now on Amazon at a discounted price.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince are available for preorder at US$16.99 each, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is currently listed for preorder at US$18.99.
Meanwhile, Barnes & Noble has the stenciled-edge paperback boxed set available for preorder for US$114.93, with a release date of September 2, 2025. These copies of the books feature another slightly different design: In among the rest of the stenciled pattern, the fore edge features the title of the book in a circle around a larger iteration of the key art.
The growing popularity of sprayed and stenciled edges will no doubt prompt many Harry Potter book collectors to pick up these attractive new versions, keeping the Harry Potter sales rolling for Scholastic.
