J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was first published in the UK in 1997.
Bloomsbury released the novel on 26 June 1997. It introduced Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and the central conflict with Lord Voldemort. The book was Rowling’s debut novel and became the first installment of a seven-book series.
The title differs between British and American editions. In the United States, Scholastic published the book as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in 1998. The story is substantially the same, but the title was changed because the publisher believed “sorcerer” would be more accessible to American readers.
The novel’s publication date is distinct from the dates of the later film and translations. The film adaptation arrived in 2001, while the first American edition appeared a year after the British original. These separate dates are a frequent source of confusion.