Bloomsbury published the first Harry Potter novel in the United Kingdom.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was published by Bloomsbury on 26 June 1997. It was J.K. Rowling’s debut novel and introduced Harry, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and the wizarding world to readers.
The book’s British title uses “Philosopher’s Stone.” When the novel was published in the United States, Scholastic retitled it Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. That title difference is a frequent source of confusion, but both editions are the same first Harry Potter story.
Bloomsbury continued publishing Rowling’s Harry Potter books in the United Kingdom. The series became one of the best-selling book franchises in history, while the first novel also won major children’s-book awards and quickly attracted international publishers.