- "I have yet to find a child who can put it down."
- — The Herald
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is the first in the Harry Potter book series written by J. K. Rowling. The book was published by Bloomsbury on 26th June 1997. The name was changed to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the US editions.
The book follows Harry Potter during his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where he gets involved in the plot to find the Philosopher's Stone. The book was adapted into a film in 2001.
Development and publication[]
J. K. Rowling came up with the idea of Harry Potter when she was on a train travelling to London. The idea fell into her head and she began to write the Philosopher's Stone that evening. She spent six years creating the book and then with the help of an agent, she sent it to twelve publishers who each decided not to publish it. A few of these thought it had too many words for a children's book.[1]
Eventually luck struck when Barry Cunningham, who was building a portfolio of new fantasy books for Bloomsbury Children's Books, thought it was a good idea and recommended it to them. Bloomsbury's chief executive gave it to his eight year old daughter to read and review before he accepted it. She told him it was "so much better than anything else" and Bloomsbury agreed to publish it.[1]
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was first published on 26th June 1997. They provided only 500 copies in the hope that booksellers would read it and then recommend it to their buyers. 300 of the copies were sent to libraries. When it recieved the attention they were hoping for, they kept printing copies. Reviews soon came in for the book, with a reviewer for The Herald writing that "I have yet to find a child who can put it down" while The Guardian called it "a richly textured novel given lift-off by an inventive wit".[1]
The book received many awards, including the 1997 National Book Award and a gold medal in the 9 to 11 year-olds category of the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize. These propelled the books to further popularity and recognition. The book won nearly every one of the major British awards that were decided by children, and appeared on many lists including the Best Selling Fiction list by The New York Times. Harry Potter greatly influenced and changed the perception of children's novels genre, aith The New York Times having to create a children's section. Other book series written for children, including the novels of Roald Dahl, were finally receiving the opportunity to be truly appreciated. The book has since been published in several editions and translated into many languages.
Plot[]
Harry Potter's parents, James and Lily Potter are killed by the Dark wizard, Lord Voldemort who disappears after failing to also kill Harry. Harry is sent to live with his aunt Petunia Dursley and her family by Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall, while the wizarding world celebrates the apparent downfall of Voldemort. Harry is raised without the knowledge that he is a wizard and henis treated very poorly in their care. At age eleven, Harry receives an acceptance letter to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry which the Dursleys won't let him open. The letters keep getting sent and intercepted and his uncle, Vernon Dursley decides to take the family to hide in the Hut-on-the-Rock.
Rubeus Hagrid arrives at the Hut where he finally tells Harry that he is a wizard. His life changes forever when he goes to magical places he never knew existed, including Diagon Alley where he buys a wand, and Platform Nine and Three-Quarters where he travels on the Hogwarts Express. He gets to Hogwarts and the Sorting Hat puts him in Gryffindor house. He befriends Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger and starts to learn magic by attending lessons such as Charms, Transfiguration and Potions. Harry shows a great talent for flying and he is made the youngest Seeker in a century to play Quidditch.
However, when Harry, Ron and Hermione find out about Fluffy and a plot to steal the Philosopher's Stone, they begin to realise that Lord Voldemort is still alive, leading to an encounter which places Harry in great danger.
Chapters[]
- Chapter 1: The Boy Who Lived
- Chapter 2: The Vanishing Glass
- Chapter 3: The Letters from No One
- Chapter 4: The Keeper of the Keys
- Chapter 5: Diagon Alley
- Chapter 6: The Journey from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters
- Chapter 7: The Sorting Hat
- Chapter 8: The Potions Master
- Chapter 9: The Midnight Duel
- Chapter 10: Hallowe'en
- Chapter 11: Quidditch
- Chapter 12: The Mirror of Erised
- Chapter 13: Nicolas Flamel
- Chapter 14: Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback
- Chapter 15: The Forbidden Forest
- Chapter 16: Through the Trapdoor
- Chapter 17: The Man with Two Faces
Dedication[]
- "For Jessica, who loves stories, for Anne, who loved them too, and for Di, who heard this one first."
- — By J.K Rowling
Rowling devoted the story to three relatives. Jessica is her daughter, Anne was her mother who had died a few years earlier and Diane "Di" is her younger sister.
Covers[]
Bloomsbury[]
Scholastic[]
