Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone
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First Published: July, 1997, Britain, 1998, U.S.
Text Completed: 1995 – it took JK awhile to find an agent and publisher!
Published By: Bloomsbury Press in the U.K., Scholastic Books Inc. in the U.S.
Pages: 309
Chapters: 17
DADA Teacher: Professor Quirrel
Dedication:
For Jessica, who loves stories,
for Anne, who loved them too,
and for Di, who heard this one first.
See each chapter perfect shortened here.
Covers from all over the world
Chapters’ pictures
Harry Potter thinks he is an ordinary boy – until he is rescued by a beetle eyed giant of a man, enrols at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, learns to play Quidditch and does battle in a deadly duel. All because Harry Potter is a wizard!
Follow the adventures of Harry Potter as he discovers the magical, the dangerous, the unpredictable world of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Facts & trivia:
- This is the title of the original British version of the first book.
- The title refers to a stone sought after by alchemists, a stone which was reputed to turn other metals into gold and to grant immortality.
- title in the US: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
- audio version released on casette and CD, read by Stephen Fry
Comments by Rowling about this book:
Q: Do you rewrite a lot?
A: A huge amount. Only once have I sat down, written something end to end, and let it stand. That was the chapter in Philosopher’s Stone when Harry learns to fly. I remember vividly – the old story we’ve heard a million times – my daughter fell asleep, it was a beautifully sunny day, I sat in a café, and wrote that chapter from beginning to end. And I think I changed two words. That’s very unusual for me.
Q: Does it bother you that in America they changed the names of your books?
A: They changed the first title, but with my consent to be honest. I wish I hadn’t agreed now but it was my first book, and I was so grateful that anyone was publishing me I wanted to keep them happy.
Awards:
Nestlé Smarties Book Prize 1997 Gold Medal 9-11 years, FCBG Children’s Book Award 1997 Overall winner and Longer Novel Category winner, Birmingham Cable Children’s Book Award 1997, Young Telegraph Paperback of the Year 1998, British Book Awards 1997 Children’s Book of the Year, Sheffield Children’s Book Award 1998, Whitaker’s Platinum Book Award 2001