Which J.K. Rowling novel was published first: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone or Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets?

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was published before Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Bloomsbury released the first Harry Potter novel in the United Kingdom on 26 June 1997.

The book introduces Harry, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and the central group of Harry, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger. Its United States edition was published under the title Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone because the American publisher changed “Philosopher’s” to “Sorcerer’s.”

The second novel, Chamber of Secrets, followed in 1998. The title difference between British and American editions can cause confusion, but both titles refer to the same first book. “Philosopher’s Stone” is the original British title and the title used in most countries.