The Philosopher's Stone Book: Titles, Story and Reading Order

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone follows Harry as he discovers that he is a wizard and begins his first year at Hogwarts. On his eleventh birthday, he learns that he has a place at the school. The novel introduces his entry into the magical world and begins J.K. Rowling's seven book Harry Potter series. Its 17 chapters provide the starting point for readers who want to follow the series from its opening novel.

The book was published in the United States as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Either title identifies the first novel, so the name on a copy depends on the edition a reader is considering. The UK publication appeared on June 26, 1997, and the US edition followed on September 1, 1998. The difference in titles does not create a separate position in the series: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets comes next.

Readers comparing copies can also look beyond the title. Page counts depend on the edition, and selected illustrated editions offer different visual presentations. Jim Kay's edition has a cover showing Harry at Platform 9¾, while the MinaLima edition includes illustrations on nearly every page and eight interactive paper features. This guide covers those editions and the publication record without revealing the ending. For broader franchise coverage, visit the Harry Potter page.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone are titles for the same first novel by J.K. Rowling. The UK publication appeared on June 26, 1997, while Scholastic published the US edition on September 1, 1998. The title on a copy helps identify its edition, while both names point to the opening novel in the seven book series.

Scholastic published the US edition under its Arthur A. Levine Books imprint, with an initial printing of 50,000 copies. Bloomsbury's account of the series' publishing history records a first British hardcover printing of 500 copies. Those figures describe separate launches and particular printings, so they should be read alongside the relevant publisher, format and publication date.

The sources in the Facts box do not establish the publisher's precise reason for changing the US title. The record does establish the names and publication dates of the two editions. Readers checking a copy against a book list can therefore look for either full title in the first position, then look for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in the second. A copy called Sorcerer's Stone is the starting point for that sequence in the United States; a copy called Philosopher's Stone occupies the same place.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is the first Harry Potter book, followed by Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Six further books followed the first novel, making seven in the series. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is the US title for the opening book, so the two titles share the first position rather than appearing as separate entries.

The first novel introduces Harry's discovery that he is a wizard and follows his first year at Hogwarts. Its position is the same whether a list uses the UK title or the US title. The publication dates also differ: Philosopher's Stone appeared in the UK on June 26, 1997, and Sorcerer's Stone appeared in the US on September 1, 1998.

To follow the books in order, begin with either title for the first novel and then continue with Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban follows in third place. The later titles complete the sequence through Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was published in the UK on June 26, 1997, and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone followed in the US on September 1, 1998. Scholastic published the US edition under its Arthur A. Levine Books imprint, with an initial printing of 50,000 copies. Both publications represent the first Harry Potter novel.

The novel has 17 chapters, while its page count depends on the edition. Scholastic announced an anniversary edition with bonus material from J.K. Rowling, a new cover by Mary Grandpré and a color frontispiece. It was scheduled for September 23, 2008. In May of that year, Scholastic reported 28 million US copies of Sorcerer's Stone in print. That dated figure counts copies in print and should not be presented as a sales total.

Illustrated options include Jim Kay's edition, scheduled for global publication on October 6, 2015, and Scholastic's MinaLima edition, scheduled for publication on October 20, 2020. The MinaLima edition includes illustrations on nearly every page and eight interactive paper features. Kay's cover shows Harry at Platform 9¾.

When comparing copies, check the title, publisher and edition details. The title identifies the UK or US naming of the first novel, while the illustrator, bonus material and paper features distinguish the selected presentations described here.

The first British hardcover printing contained 500 copies, according to Bloomsbury's account of the series' publishing history. That figure describes a particular format and printing, rather than every copy available during the novel's first year. A 1997 publication date alone does not establish that a copy belongs to that first hardcover printing.

The initial US printing contained 50,000 copies under Scholastic's Arthur A. Levine Books imprint. That was 100 times the size of the first British hardcover printing, although the figures concern separate launches. The UK publication appeared on June 26, 1997, as Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Scholastic published the US edition on September 1, 1998, as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

The two printing figures also describe a different measure from Scholastic's later report of 28 million US copies in print in May 2008. The latter was a dated count supplied when the publisher announced an anniversary edition, and it should not be presented as a sales total. The anniversary edition was scheduled for September 23, 2008, with Rowling bonus material, a new Mary Grandpré cover and a color frontispiece.

When comparing early copies, check the publisher, imprint, format and printing information alongside the publication date. Those details help distinguish the specific printings in the published accounts from other editions of the same first novel.

Scholastic reported 28 million US copies of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in print in May 2008. The publisher supplied the figure when announcing an anniversary edition, scheduled for September 23, 2008. The figure is a dated count of copies in print and should not be presented as a sales total.

The anniversary edition was announced with bonus material from J.K. Rowling, a new cover by Mary Grandpré and a color frontispiece. Its US title identifies it as an edition of the first novel, which appeared in the UK as Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. The original US publication was on September 1, 1998, under Scholastic's Arthur A. Levine Books imprint, with an initial printing of 50,000 copies.

Scholastic also records that every Harry Potter book became a number one New York Times and USA Today bestseller. The two statements have different scopes: the May 2008 figure describes copies of the first novel in print in the United States, while the bestseller statement covers each book in the series. Six further books followed the first novel.

For a reader comparing the publishing figures, the date and description matter. The initial printing describes the US launch, the 28 million figure describes copies in print at a later date, and the bestseller statement applies across the series.

Jim Kay's illustrated edition of the first novel was scheduled for global publication on October 6, 2015. Scholastic and Bloomsbury revealed its cover simultaneously, showing Harry at Platform 9¾. Readers looking for this interpretation can check Kay's name alongside the novel's title.

Kay won the 2012 Kate Greenaway Medal for illustrating A Monster Calls. Scholastic records that he studied illustration at the University of Westminster and worked in the archives of Tate Britain and at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Bloomsbury says Kay used real people as inspiration for characters and spotted his model for Harry Potter on the London Underground. Those details identify the illustrator and the approach Bloomsbury described for his character inspiration.

The edition presents the same first novel that was published in the UK as Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and in the US as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Its place in the series remains first, ahead of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The cover image and Kay's name help distinguish this illustrated presentation when comparing it with other copies.

Another illustrated option is the MinaLima edition, scheduled for publication in 2020. It includes illustrations on nearly every page and eight interactive paper features. Readers choosing between the editions can use the illustrator and the described features to identify the presentation they want.

The MinaLima edition adds eight interactive paper features and illustrations on nearly every page to the first novel. Designed by Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima, Scholastic's edition was scheduled for publication on October 20, 2020. Its paper features include a Hogwarts letter, a shopping list, the entrance to Diagon Alley, a folding castle and a Great Hall feast.

The interactive elements give readers specific features to look for when comparing copies. A description that names MinaLima and its eight paper features identifies this presentation of the first novel. The edition's illustrations and paper features are separate details from the novel's 17 chapters; the page count depends on the edition.

Jim Kay's illustrated edition offers another presentation. It was scheduled for global publication on October 6, 2015, after Scholastic and Bloomsbury simultaneously revealed a cover showing Harry at Platform 9¾. Kay's name identifies that edition, just as MinaLima identifies the edition designed by Mina and Lima.

Both editions present the opening Harry Potter novel. Its UK title is Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, and its US title is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Check the edition details if you want MinaLima's paper features alongside the illustrations, and use either title to place the novel first in the seven book reading order.