Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

Publishing Facts and Information:

UK Book Info

  • Title:Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
  • First British Printing: June 26,1997
  • Publisher: Bloomsbury
  • Bloomsbury paid: $10,000 for this book
  • Pages (paperback):223
  • Price (Hardcover): £11.99

US Book Info

  • Title:Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
  • First U.S. Printing: October, 1998
  • Publisher: Scholastic, Inc
  • Scholastic paid: $105,000 for this book
  • Pages: 309
  • Price (Hardcover): $19.95
  • Book Colors:
    Outside: Dark Red and Dark Purple
    Inside: Dark Green
    Title Writing: Gold

Other Info

Started Being written- 1990

Dedications (US):

For Jessica, who loves stories,
For Anne, who loved them too;
And for Di, who heard this one first.

Summaries from the back of the books

(from back of UK book)
Harry Potter thinks he is an ordinary boy – until he is rescued by a beetle-eyed giant of a man, enrolls at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, learns to play Quidditch and does battle in a deadly duel. The Reason: HARRY POTTER IS A WIZARD!

(from back of US book)
Harry Potter has never played a sport while flying on a broomstick. He’s never worn a cloak of invisibility, befriended a giant, or helped hatch a dragon. All Harry knows is a miserable life with the Dursley’s, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominal son, Dudley. Harry’s room is a tiny closet at the foot of the stairs, and he hasn’t had a birthday party in eleven years.

But all that is about to change when a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter with an invitaion to a wonderfl place he never dreamed existed. There he finds not only friends, aerial sports, and magic around every corner, but a great destiny that’s been waiting for him… if Harry can survive the encounter.

Chapters:

  1. The Boy Who Lived
  2. The Vanishing Glass
  3. The Letters from No One
  4. The Keeper of the Keys
  5. Diagon Alley
  6. The Journey from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters
  7. The Sorting Hat
  8. The Potions Master
  9. The Midnight Duel
  10. Halloween
  11. Quidditch
  12. The Mirror of Erised
  13. Nicolas Flamel
  14. Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback
  15. The Forbidden Forest
  16. Through the Trapdoor
  17. The Man with Two Faces

Awards and Recognitions:

  • Nestle Smarties Gold Metal Book Prize (9-11 years), 1997
  • Birmingham Cable Children’s Book Award, 1997
  • National Book Award- Children’s book of the year, 1997
  • FCBG Children’s Book Award- Overall Winner and in Longer Novel Category- 1997
  • Young Telegraph Paperback of the Year, 1998
  • Sheffield Children’s Book Award, 1998
  • Parenting Book of the Year, 1998
  • New York Public Library Best Book of the Year, 1998
  • ALA Notable Book
  • New York Times Bestseller
  • USA Today Bestseller
  • Booklist Editor’s Choice

*Has two different titles because it was originally Philosopher’s Stone, but the Publishers thought that many American children would not understand because Philosopher is a different meaning in America than it is in Britain

Plot Summary: Contains Spoilers

Short Summary:

Harry Potter, the boy who lived was raised by his horrible aunt and uncle. Only at 11 did he find he was a wizard and the most horrible wizard of the time; Lord Voldemort, killed his parents. Now he is off to Hogwarts, meeting friends along the way. Harry also is on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and has 2 great friends, Ron and Hermione. Finally, at the end, he comes face to face with Voldemort, killing the person he was living inside, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Quirell.

Long Summary:

Harry Potter, the boy who lived, was raised by his Aunt and Uncle in the cupboard under the stairs. Only on his 11th birthday to find out that he is a wizard. Now Harry Potter is challenging the wizarding world at his school, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Finding out about his parents, and how they were murdered by the evil Lord Voldemort, and after killing his parents, how he tried to kill Harry, but the spell backfired and half-killed Lord Voldemort, making him weak and powerless.

Harry Potter is on the Gryffindor (his house’s) Quidditch Team, and has a Nimbus 2000, a very good broomstick that Professor McGonagall (Transfiguration teacher and Head of Gryffindor house) gave him. He also has an enemy, Draco Malfoy, a Slytherin boy who thinks he’s better than everybody else. Harry is proving himself exceptional among everybody. Also, putting up with the wicked potions teacher Snape, and the nice, poor shuddering Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Quirell.

This year, the Sorcerer’s Stone (A stone with the power to make somebody have immortal life) is being hidden in Hogwarts under severe guard. Only with the help of Harry’s friends Ron and Hermione will he be able to rescue the stone. First, battling a giant 3-headed dog, then devils snare (a nasty, strangling plant). Also, thousand of flying keys in which only 1 fits the door, a giant Wizards’ chess set in which they have to win their way across, battling a troll (which was knocked out when they got there) and picking the right potion to get across, where the other potions, if the wrong one chosen, can kill you. All the way to find the Mirror of Erised (which shows your hearts true desires), with Quirell right next to it. Quirell says that he was the one, not Snape, trying to steel the stone. Next, Quirell took his turban off his head to show that the back of his head was Lord Voldemort. Harry looks into the mirror, and instead of seeing his family (what his true heard desires), he saw himself with the stone in his pocket. With some strange power, when Quirell tries to get the stone from Harry, Harry touches him, and Quirell gets killed right after Harry faints. Therefore, the good side won.

Harry wakes up a week later in the Hospital wing, and Dumbledore tells him what happened. He says that the reason that Voldemort could not kill Harry was that Harry’s mother gave her life for him when he was a baby, so now Voldemort could not kill him. He also says that he and Nicolas Flamel (the creator of the Sorcerer’s Stone) had destroyed the stone.

At the end of the year feast, Slytherin house won the house cup. But then Dumbledore gives 50 points to Ron, 50 points for Hermione, and 60 points for Harry for saving the sorcerer’s stone. Then, he gives Neville Longbottom (A round faced Gryffindor 1st year) 10 points for standing up to Harry, Ron, and Hermione to not go out past hours.

With all of these extra points, Gryffindor wins the house cup. Harry is forced to go back to the Dursley’s (his aunt and uncle) for the summer, but will return to Hogwarts for his 2nd year.