Which Harry Potter book did J.K. Rowling say she wrote first in longhand?

J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone first in longhand.

Rowling began developing the Harry Potter idea in 1990 and wrote parts of the first novel by hand before producing typed drafts. The book grew from the character of Harry and the magical school setting she had imagined. She worked on it while living in Portugal, returning to Britain after the end of her marriage.

The manuscript was completed after years of work and was eventually submitted to literary agents. Bloomsbury acquired it, and the book appeared in Britain in 1997. Rowling’s handwritten beginnings are part of the novel’s creation story, but the finished published text went through editing and revision before release.

The first novel established the structure that shaped the series: a school year at Hogwarts, magical lessons, friendships, a mystery, and a confrontation with Voldemort. Later books became substantially longer, especially Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.