NY, Amulet Books, (2007). Both the first edition and the advance reading copy (marked "uncorrected proof") of the first book in the Wimpy Kid series, now at nine books (and counting) and three films (and counting), with 150 million books in print. The ninth book in the series was the second bestselling book of 2014, despite only being published in November; it sold more than 1.5 million copies in less than two months. Overall, the series has sales figures that outshine those of any other in recent years outside of the Harry Potter series. Kinney, a self-described failed cartoonist, spent eight years writing his novel in cartoons as a satiric nostalgic piece for adults; he was discovered at a comic book convention by an editor from Abrams books (of which Amulet is an imprint) who told Kinney his book was about to become a kids' book. The book is fine in pictorial boards, but for a thumb-sized corner chip on page 125, now laid in. The advance reading copy is fine in wrappers, and lays out the marketing plan for "Ages 8 and up." The first printing of the first book in this popular series is very uncommon now; the advance prepublication issue is even more so. No copies of either issue are currently listed online, and we have not seen any listed since we have been checking, more or less for the past year. Very scarce early issues of a first book, when the publisher had no inkling that the book would succeed, let alone provide an ongoing series of bestsellers. [#031706] SOLD