J.K. Rowling’s first Harry Potter novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, was published on 26 June 1997.
Bloomsbury released the book in the United Kingdom after acquiring the manuscript from Rowling. The story introduces Harry Potter, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and the wider wizarding world. Its first print run was relatively small compared with the enormous demand that followed.
The novel was titled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in the United States. Scholastic changed “Philosopher’s” to “Sorcerer’s” for the American edition, partly because the publisher believed the original wording might seem less appealing to young American readers. The story and characters remained substantially the same.
The date is sometimes confused with the release dates of later editions, translations, or the film adaptation. The first Harry Potter film arrived in 2001, four years after the novel began the publishing phenomenon.