Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
By J. K. Rowling
 
Fourth impression of the inaugural volume of the Harry Potter series. Issued in the same year as the first.
 
Original pictorial boards. Very slightly cocked, else a near fine and bright copy in a fine dust jacket.
 
The first appearance of Harry Potter and the novel that launched one of the most influential publishing phenomena of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. First published by Bloomsbury in June 1997 in a famously small initial print run, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone rapidly transformed from an unassuming debut into a global cultural landmark, redefining children’s literature, revitalising the commercial fortunes of the book trade, and exerting a sustained influence across publishing, film, and popular culture.
 
Early impressions, including this fourth impression, were issued during the book’s initial rise to prominence, prior to some later redesigns and mass-market reissues that followed its global success.