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Book Home  Books Information Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
is the first volume in a planned series of seven books written
by British author J. K. Rowling, and featuring Harry Potter, a
young wizard. The book was first published on 30 June 1997 by
Bloomsbury in London, and has also been made into a film of the
same name.
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Both the motion picture and book were released in the
United States under the name Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,
as the publishers were concerned that most American children would
get the wrong impression from the word "philosopher," not
knowing that the book actually revolved around magic, despite the
Philosopher's Stone being an historical concept somewhat relevant
to the story. In their defense, it must be noted that the renaming
of books for international distribution is a common practice, even
for highly known and internationally recognised authors.
Whatever the reasons for the change, it had no effect
on the sales figures, and the Harry Potter series rapidly became one
of the most-in-demand among young readers, who seemed to be undaunted
by the ever-increasing length and complexity of the volumes.
Harry Potter, born on July 31, 1980, was orphaned on
October 31, 1981, when the evil wizard Lord Voldemort murdered his
parents, Lily and James Potter, a witch and wizard, respectively.
Harry's mother's sacrificial attempt to save Harry causes the killing
spell (Avada Kedavra) cast upon Harry by Voldemort to backfire, forming
a fated connection between the two during which parts of Voldemort's
power was transferred to the infant. From the spell backfire, Harry
is given a lightning-bolt shaped scar on his forehead and Voldemort
seemingly dies. Harry's mother's love and Voldemort's powers give
Harry a lingering magical protection against further attacks by Voldemort.
Harry is retrieved by Hagrid under the orders of Albus
Dumbledore and put in the reluctant care of his Muggle (non-magical)
relatives, his mother's sister Petunia Dursley and her husband Vernon.
They live in Little Whinging, a suburb of London, along with their
spoiled son Dudley (born June 22, 1980). The Dursleys, who intensely
dislike magic, conceal from Harry any knowledge of his magical abilities
and tell him that his parents were killed in a car crash. The Dursleys
mistreat Harry, whose bedroom is a cupboard under the stairs, filled
with spiders.
A week before his eleventh birthday, Harry begins receiving
letters informing him of his acceptance at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft
and Wizardry. Despite the Dursleys' attempts to stop the letters,
Hagrid eventually tracks them down and briefly rescues Harry from
his relatives' grasp so that Harry can purchase his school supplies,
only to return him to the Dursleys with a train ticket to Hogwarts
leaving from Platform 9¾ at King's Cross station, London.
There are four houses in Hogwarts, each with very specific
characteristics. Slytherin is filled entirely with ambitious, cunning
witches and wizards. Ravenclaw is home to the most intelligent witches
and wizards. Gryffindor houses only the brave, and Hufflepuff is where
the most fair and honest go. Each student upon arriving at Hogwarts
must go through the Sorting Ceremony by trying on an ancient hat.
Though the hat considers placing him in Slytherin, Harry is sorted
into Gryffindor house. His closest friends at Hogwarts become Hermione
Granger and Ron Weasley, and his biggest rival is Draco Malfoy, who
belongs to the rival Slytherin house.
In the course of the year, Harry, Ron, and Hermione
discover that a 3-headed dog, christened Fluffy by Hagrid, guards
a trapdoor in a forbidden corridor of Hogwarts. They speculate as
to what it guards and eventually they figure out that Fluffy guards
the legendary Philosopher's Stone. The three friends come to believe
Severus Snape, the sinister-looking Potions Professor, is trying to
steal it in order to restore Lord Voldemort to power.
When they feel they have no choice, Harry, Ron, and
Hermione go through the trapdoor to get to the Stone first. They negotiate
the security system set up by the school's staff and find that Professor
Quirrell, not Snape, is trying to steal the Stone. Snape was, in fact,
actually grudgingly trying to protect Harry from harm all along. Harry
confronts Quirrell and survives a second encounter with Lord Voldemort,
who has been living inside Quirrell on the back of his head. Quirrell
is killed in the process and Voldemort is driven away as a ghostlike
form. Dumbledore agrees with Nicholas Flamel, the manufacturer of
the Stone, to destroy it.
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