

Since this was the first book, Rowling had more time to edit the book and make the writing more concise. It has fewer words than the other six books, making it the shortest book in the series. The curse inexplicably reverses, defeating. What happens in the book: After murdering Harrys parents, James and Lily Potter, evil Lord Voldemort puts a killing curse on Harry, then just a baby. (Published as 'Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone' in the U.K.) When it hit shelves: June 30, 1997. We think it’s fair to say that, 20 years and 500 million books later, Harry Potter still has the power to transport us to a whole new world within its pages. The first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, has 76,944 words. Book 1: Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone. Bloomsbury continue to celebrate 20 years on, with events around Harry Potter Book Night, and publication of the new House editions of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. A large-scale campaign from Bloomsbury saw house editions of the first book available, a Guinness World Record broken and an online favourite moments video that has been viewed more than ten million times. I know for a fact that I could have read the books faster if it were not for homework assignments.


In 2017, the UK celebrated 20 years since Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was first published. The 1st book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, took me less than a day to read, while the last book, took me over a week to finish. And of course, don’t forget about the second Fantastic Beasts film coming out this November, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. With the smash hit play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child coming to Broadway in the spring, and the launch of the exhibition, Harry Potter: A History of Magic, at the New-York Historical Society this October, this year is set to be a bonus year for Harry Potter in the USA. To celebrate its 20th birthday in the US, the first Harry Potter book will be going on a whole new journey in 2018, with Scholastic and Pottermore preparing for the big anniversary across bookshops, libraries, schools and festivals, and commissioning renowned artist Brian Selznick as new cover illustrator.
