J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books began publication in 1997.
Bloomsbury published Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in the United Kingdom on 26 June 1997. The novel introduced Harry, who learns on his eleventh birthday that he is a wizard and then begins his first year at Hogwarts. Its publication launched one of the most commercially successful literary series in modern publishing.
The first book was followed by Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in 1998 and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in 1999. The remaining four novels appeared between 2000 and 2007, ending with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
The American edition of the first book was released in 1998 under the title Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. This difference in title and publication date sometimes leads to mistaken answers. The original UK publication date, and the beginning of the book series, is 1997.