# Harry Potter Candian books. =o



## ShutUpAndSmile (Mar 7, 2011)

Yeah really off topic.
But I had read that the harry potter books the uk version (which is the same as the Canadian version) is different then the US version. 
So because of that I've been looking to purchase them. 
Just curious how much are they in Canada? My bfs dad often goes to do business there and I was thinking of asking him to pick me up most of the series. Shipping seems to be insane so just curious. 
I managed to find books 1-3 on ebay for about $25 including shipping. Just wondering if it's a good deal? 
Thanks for any info. o.o


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## Abracadabra (Jan 3, 2012)

Are the books a set? Or are they brand new? The brand new books would be 20-25 dollars. The only difference I can think of between the versions is the cover art.


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## ShutUpAndSmile (Mar 7, 2011)

Not a set. Didn't win them  but either way I'd still like the uk/Canadian version. I have only read the first one but if I'm gonna read the others I wanna do it right. Also not sure but I think some of the text is different. The first book has a different name cause they wanted to make it simpler for us Americans so I've heard lol


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## Ausage (Jan 5, 2012)

ShutUpAndSmile said:


> Yeah really off topic.
> But I had read that the harry potter books the uk version (which is the same as the Canadian version) is different then the US version.
> So because of that I've been looking to purchase them.
> Just curious how much are they in Canada? My bfs dad often goes to do business there and I was thinking of asking him to pick me up most of the series. Shipping seems to be insane so just curious.
> ...


Generally books in Canada are about 15-25% more, allowing for currency differences, than in the US. This is true even if the Canadian book is printed in Canada. As to the Harry Potter, books I would imagine that the main difference would be the Americanization of spelling in the US edition, with perhaps some cover art differences.

It is not unheard of for American publishers to suggest / demand editorial changes in books, especially children's books, of plot elements that might affect sales to libraries and schools.


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## moxieberry (Nov 30, 2011)

This is true for more than just the Harry Potter books. All books that are originally published in the UK are slightly altered when they're published in the US. For one thing, the spelling differences are adjusted (colour/color, theatre/theater, etc.) - and for another, there are certain words that have a slightly different meaning in the UK, compared to the US. I'll use Neil Gaiman as an example - one of my favorite authors, an English author (who also provided me with a name recommendation for my hedgehog!):

"For example, in the English version Richard, our hero, meets Door, our, for want of a better word, heroine. He stumbles over her bleeding on the pavement. In the American version, he stumbles her over bleeding on the sidewalk. English people ask me, "Why did you change that?" And I say, "Because it's a word that means two different things. The English word pavement literally means sidewalk. In America pavement is the paved area; it's actually the road. If I left her bleeding on the pavement in the American version, for reasons of cultural superiority, she would be in a different place. People would understand it differently." I wanted the story to be understood and to be read the same."

Some small things will also sometimes be tweaked according to the opinion of the US editor/publisher, since that's not going to be the same one as in the UK. This includes cover art; usually the original publishing company will have the cover art copyrighted, and when a new publisher takes on the book to print/sell it in the US, they don't have the rights to that art.


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