Which Harry Potter novel did J.K. Rowling complete first?

J.K. Rowling first completed Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

The manuscript was accepted by Bloomsbury and published in 1997, beginning the seven-novel Harry Potter sequence. It established the central setting, characters, magical rules, and conflict that Rowling developed across the later books. The novel’s success led to six sequels and a major film franchise.

Completion and publication are different milestones. Rowling began planning the Harry Potter story before the first book was finished, and she continued writing the series over the following decade. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the final main novel, was published in 2007. The U.S. edition of the first book uses a different title, but it is the same novel.