Bloomsbury released J.K. Rowling’s first Harry Potter novel in the United Kingdom.
Bloomsbury published Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone on 26 June 1997. The book introduced Harry, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and the central conflict with Lord Voldemort. Its success transformed a relatively small British publishing house into a major international literary name.
The novel has a different title in the United States: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Scholastic published the American edition in 1998, changing “Philosopher” to “Sorcerer” partly because the publisher believed the original word might be less appealing to American children. The two editions tell the same story but contain some wording differences.
Bloomsbury remained the UK publisher for the main Harry Potter series. The publisher’s role is therefore different from that of Warner Bros., which distributed the film adaptations.