Which Harry Potter book was published first in the United States under the title Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone?

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was published in the United States under the title Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Scholastic released the American edition in September 1998.

The title was changed because the US publisher believed that “Sorcerer’s Stone” would be clearer and more appealing to American children. The alteration affected references in the text as well as the cover title, so the two editions are not simply different-jacket versions of identical wording.

The British edition appeared in 1997 and used “Philosopher’s Stone,” an expression linked to the legendary substance said to transform base metals into gold and provide an elixir of life. Later books generally kept their British titles in the United States, making the first book’s title difference especially distinctive.