Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by Rowling, J. K - 1997

London: Bloomsbury, 1997 Illustrated by Thomas Taylor. First edition, twenty-seventh printing. Publisher's pictorial boards with yellow, black, and white lettering; in original dust jacket matching the boards. Near fine book with spine ends a bit bumped, and bump with a tiny tear to bottom edge of front board, tiny dent to bottom edge of rear board; in an unclipped near fine dust jacket with slight creasing to edges, tiny closed tear to spine head. Overall, a bright and near fine copy of an early printing of the true first British edition of Harry Potter. First published in 1997, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is the first book in the Harry Potter heptalogy. It introduces both Harry and readers alike to the secret, magical world of witches and wizards in Great Britain. It also sets the stage for the six subsequent novels by familiarizing readers with the villainous Lord Voldemort and how his and Harry's fates are inevitably intertwined. Although often regarded as a children's novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone topped adult reading charts in the UK, and in the United States, where it was published under the alternate title Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Notably, the first printing of this book in hardcover format is exceedingly rare; only 500 copies were printed, of which about half ended up in libraries. Despite its small print run, the book was an immediate success, and went through dozens of print runs within the first few years after publication. . Hard Cover. Near Fine/Dust Jacket Included.