Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone [Hardcover]

J K Rowling (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: BLOOMSBURY CHILDREN' (October 4, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 074757166X
• ISBN-13: 978-0747571667
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,808,380 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

J K (Joanne Kathleen) Rowling was born in the summer of 1965 at Yate General Hospital in England and grew up in Chepstow, Gwent where she went to Wyedean Comprehensive. Jo left Chepstow for Exeter University, where she earned a French and Classics degree, and where her course included one year in Paris. As a postgraduate she moved to London to work at Amnesty International, doing research into human rights abuses in Francophone Africa. She started writing the Harry Potter series during a Manchester to London King's Cross train journey, and during the next five years, outlined the plots for each book and began writing the first novel. Jo then moved to northern Portugal, where she taught English as a foreign language. She married in October 1992 and gave birth to her daughter Jessica in 1993. When her marriage ended, she returned to the UK to live in Edinburgh, where "Harry Potter & the Philosopher's Ston"e was eventually completed and in 1996 she received an offer of publication. The following summer the world was introduced to Harry Potter."Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" was published by Bloomsbury Children's Books in June 1997 and was published as "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" in America by Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic in September 1998.The second title in the series, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets", was published in July 1998 (June 2, 1999 in America) and was No. 1 in the adult hardback bestseller charts for a month after publication. "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" was published on 8th July 1999 (September 8, 1999 in America) to worldwide acclaim and massive press attention. The book spent four weeks at No.1 in the adult hardback bestseller charts, while "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" simultaneously topped the paperback charts. In the US the first three Harry Potter books occupied the top three spots on numerous adult bestseller lists.The fourth book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" was published in Britain, the USA, Canada and Australia 8th July 2000 with a record first print run of 1 million copies for the UK and 3.8 million for the US. It quickly broke all records for the greatest number of books sold on the first weekend of publication. The fifth book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," was published in Britain, the USA, Canada and Australia on 21st June 2003. Published in paperback on 10th July 2004, it is the longest in the series - 766 pages - and broke the records set by "Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire" as the fastest selling book in history. The sixth book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", was published in the UK, US and other English-speaking countries on 16th July 2005 and also achieved record sales.The seventh and final book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," was published in the UK, US and other English speaking countries on 21st July 2007. The book is the fastest selling book in the UK and USA and sales have contributed to breaking the 375 million copies mark worldwide.J K Rowling has also written two small volumes, which appear as the titles of Harry's school books within the novels. "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" and "Quidditch Through The Ages" were published by Bloomsbury Children's Books and Scholastic in March 2001 in aid of Comic Relief. The Harry Potter books have sold 400 million copies worldwide. They are distributed in over 200 territories and are translated into 67 languages.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kudos on finally getting this one out!, October 20, 2004

By 

S. D Haynie "girlranger" (carlsbad, nm United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Harry Potter agus an Orchloch (Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone, Irish Edition) (Hardcover)

Yay! It's finally here!

How can I review the plot of this book when everyone already knows it so well?

This is the magical book in the series where JK Rowling introduces the wizarding world and all the vocabulary that goes with it (Muggles, Quidditch, Owl Post...). It's a treat to be able to read it in Irish, now.

If you are still in the learning stages of your Irish, or are only three quarters of the way through Learning Irish by Michael O'Siadhail, try this: read the Irish version of Harry Potter and have the English version right beside you. It's easier than trying to reverse-conjugate so you can look up the root in the dictionary. The only catch is you probably should have the ENGLISH version and not the American, since there are some differences, but those are only in word choice. I'm using the American version, myself.

This is a great tribute to a language that twirls out of your mouth and sings in the air. I'm thrilled this book is out now.

If you don't know any Irish at all, here's an idea or two for you. Either get this book to motivate you to learn the language, or get this book to show your support for the dying languages of the world.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, but not for the faint of heart, December 17, 2007

By 

Craig Franklin (Brisbane, AU) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Harry Potter agus an Orchloch (Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone, Irish Edition) (Hardcover)

This is an excellent translation, but if your Irish is not tip-top, this can be a tough and sometimes frustrating read. I eventually bit the bullet and got an English-language copy from the library to read along with it, which made for a much more satisfying (and educational!) experience.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An enchanting experience, July 25, 2008

By 

J. Lyons - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Harry Potter agus an Orchloch (Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone, Irish Edition) (Hardcover)

Although I read it with a dictionary at hand, I have thoroughly (and slowly) savored this adventure. Not having read any Harry Potter in English, this is my first contact with the work, and now my only regret is that the other volumes are not in Irish. For an intermediate learner of Irish, I find this to be an excellent motivator to keep going in the language.