Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling. It was published in 1997 by Bloomsbury in the United Kingdom and later by Scholastic in the United States, where it was retitled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The novel follows eleven-year-old Harry Potter, who discovers on his eleventh birthday that he is a wizard and has been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. At Hogwarts, he makes his first friends, including Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, and learns that he is famous in the wizarding world for surviving an attack by the dark wizard Lord Voldemort. The story culminates in Harry's confrontation with the school's caretaker, who is revealed to be the half-blood wizard Quirrell, possessed by Voldemort and seeking the Philosopher's Stone to restore his master to full power.
The novel was initially written for Rowling's son and was rejected by several publishers before being accepted by Bloomsbury. It won numerous awards, including the British Book Award and the Whitbread Children's Book Award. The success of the book launched the Harry Potter series, which consists of seven novels and has sold over 600 million copies worldwide, becoming one of the best-selling book series in history. The story explores themes of love, friendship, courage, and the battle between good and evil, resonating with readers of all ages and spawning a massive global franchise.
