<P> Harry Potter and the Philosopher 's Stone is a fantasy novel written by British author J.K. Rowling . It is the first novel in the Harry Potter series and Rowling 's debut novel , first published in 1997 by Bloomsbury . It was published in the United States as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer 's Stone by Scholastic Corporation in 1998 . The plot follows Harry Potter , a young wizard who discovers his magical heritage as he makes close friends and a few enemies in his first year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry . With the help of his friends , Harry faces an attempted comeback by the dark wizard Lord Voldemort , who killed Harry 's parents , but failed to kill Harry when he was just 15 months old . </P>
when was harry potter and the philosophers stone published
in 1997