Bloomsbury released the first UK edition of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
The London-based independent publisher issued the book on 26 June 1997 after acquiring the manuscript. The initial print run was modest by the standards of the phenomenon that followed, but the novel’s reception quickly led to further printings and growing international interest.
Bloomsbury has remained the principal UK publisher of the Harry Potter novels. The first edition’s cover, designed by Thomas Taylor, became an instantly recognisable part of the series’ early identity, while later editions used different artwork and formats.
The American publisher Scholastic released the book in the United States under the title Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. That separate title often causes readers to name Scholastic when the question concerns the original UK publication, but Bloomsbury is the specific answer for the first British edition.