J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was first published in the United Kingdom on 2 July 1998.
Bloomsbury released the second Harry Potter novel just over a year after Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. The story returns Harry to Hogwarts for his second year and introduces the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets, along with characters such as Dobby and Ginny Weasley’s diary-linked storyline.
Readers sometimes confuse the UK publication date with dates for other editions. The American edition, retitled Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets without a subtitle change, appeared later in 1999 through Scholastic. Release dates also differed by country and format.
The novel became a major bestseller and helped establish the series as a publishing phenomenon rather than a one-book success. Its film adaptation, directed by Chris Columbus, was released in 2002, several years after the British first edition.