Product Description

When a letter arrives for unhappy but ordinary Harry Potter, a decade-old secret is revealed to him that apparently he's the last to know. His parents were wizards, killed by a Dark Lord's curse when Harry was just a baby, and which he somehow survived. Escaping his hideous Muggle guardians for Hogwarts, a wizarding school brimming with ghosts and enchantments, Harry stumbles upon a sinister adventure when he finds a three-headed dog guarding a room on the third floor. Then he hears of a missing stone with astonishing powers which could be valuable, dangerous, or both.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3413 in Books
• Published on: 2004-07-10
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

From Amazon.co.uk
Say you've spent the first 10 years of your life sleeping under the stairs of a family who loathes you. Then, in an absurd, magical twist of fate you find yourself surrounded by wizards, a caged snowy owl, a phoenix-feather wand and jellybeans that come in every flavour, including strawberry, curry, grass and sardine. Not only that, but you discover that you are a wizard yourself! This is exactly what happens to young Harry Potter in J K Rowling's enchanting, funny debut novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. In the non-magical human world--the world of "Muggles"--Harry is a nobody, treated like dirt by the aunt and uncle who begrudgingly inherited him when his parents were killed by the evil Voldemort. But in the world of wizards, small, skinny Harry is renowned as a survivor of the wizard who tried to kill him. He is left only with a lightning-bolt scar on his forehead, curiously refined sensibilities and a host of mysterious powers to remind him that he's quite, yes, altogether different from his aunt, uncle, and spoilt, pig-like cousin Dudley.

A mysterious letter, delivered by the friendly giant Hagrid, wrenches Harry from his dreary, Muggle-ridden existence: "We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry". Of course, Uncle Vernon yells most unpleasantly, "I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!" Soon enough, however, Harry finds himself at Hogwarts with his owl Hedwig ... and that's where the real adventure--humorous, haunting, and suspenseful--begins.

This magical, gripping, brilliant book--a future classic to be sure--will leave children clamouring for a sequel. (Ages 8-13) --Karin Snelson

Amazon.co.uk Review
Just when it seems that there cannot possibly be another twist to the Harry Potter tale, Stephen Fry dons his haughtiest and naughtiest tones to bring Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone to vibrant life on audio.

Harry Potter has spent the first 10 years of his life at the mercy of the dreadful Dursleys--the aunt, uncle and fat, spoilt brat of a cousin who reluctantly gave him a home after the death of his mother and father. But on his 11th birthday Harry discovers that he is no ordinary boy, and despite the best efforts of his hideous relatives he escapes to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to begin his new life as a trainee wizard. And the rest, as they say, is history...

As Harry battles against the evils thrown in his path, Stephen Fry injects the proceedings with a wry, dry and extremely contagious humour that perfectly suits the tale, wringing out the best in Harry and his cohorts as they get to grips with their new lives at the sharp end of Hogwarts. Fry's innate upper-class drone is perfectly suited to the telling of this most magical tale, cracking into the high-pitched squawking of Hermione the swat, or the gentle tones of the firm but fair Dumbledore, or the evil sniping of slimey Snape at precisely the right moments, adding further atmosphere and intensity to the story

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is a fine story and much has been written about its success but until you have heard Fry's cracking reading of this most magical of stories then you simply haven't lived. As with any audio book, this one is perfect for car journeys and an ideal way of introducing reluctant readers to the magic that is Harry Potter. (Age 9 and over) --Susan Harrison

Review
'Funny, imaginative, magical Rowling has woken up a whole generation to reading. In the 2020s, thirty-something book-lovers will know each other by smug references to Diagon Alley and Quidditch' The Times 'Has all the makings of a classic Rowling uses classic narrative devices with flair and originality and delivers a complex and demanding plot in the form of a hugely entertaining thriller' Scotsman 'Full of surprises and jokes; comparisons with Dahl are, this time, justified' Sunday Times 'And you thought wizardry was for children. Harry Potter will make you think again. He casts his spells on grown-ups too' James Naughtie

Customer Reviews

Magical!
In my overly-excited anticipation of the seventh and final novel coming out on 21st July `07, I've started reading the Harry Potter series again (for the third time) and I'm enjoying them just as much now as I did the very first time I read them.

`Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' is the first book in the magical 7-book saga, introducing an orphaned young boy, Harry, who has been bought up for the past 10 years by his aunt and uncle, who have been keeping Harry's secret very well hidden from him.

To Harry's surprise and disbelief, once he reaches his 11th birthday he finds out that his is a wizard and is invited to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And so this begins one of the most engrossing and enjoyable stories ever written.

The first book is obviously a great place to start. The book is reasonably short, the story is fairly straight-forward (for now!) and once you have gotten a few chapters in you will without a doubt be already deeply absorbed and won't be able to put it down.

JK Rowling has a special writing talent that many (most) other authors don't, where you actually feel like you have been to places like Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, Platform nine & three quarters and Privet Drive and have really met the likes of Ron and the Weasley family, Hermoine, Dumbledore, Snape, Voldermort, the Malfoys, the Dursleys, Hagrid and the rest of the memorable characters.

To anyone considering reading the Harry Potter books for the first time my advice would be this - join the hype, forget about the real world and enjoy six (most likely to be seven) of the best books ever written, that can be enjoyed by both children and adults alike.

An Absolute Must.
I am not the first person you would be expecting to read this book because I'm a 20-year old male.

The reason I bought the book was to see for myself what all this Harry Potter stuff was about. I am ashamed to say, that before the Philosopher Stone, I had never in my life read a book cover to cover, because I get too easily bored.
This book, however, had me up at all hours of the night, I couldn't put it down for a second and when I did, it was to start the next one in the series. I have been amazed to find that this "Childrens Book" has such far reaching appeal, you are both amazed by both the wonder and the detail of wizarding world and by the suspense that will leave the most adult of us guessing on every page.

Absolutely Amazing, but be warned, make sure you have plenty of free time, because once you pick this up you won't want to put it down, I promise.

A Real Treasure to have and enjoy!
I am so pleased with the Bloomsbury Special Edition/Clothbound. My copy was in mint condition, even though it had been on the shelf over a year, still sealed in plastic.

There were no dents - so the Hardboard to me looks durable. The pages were crisp. I really love the Typeset chosen for the Special Editions - it makes such a pleasurable read. The gold embossing was sharp. The gold trims on the page ends was a smooth tone. I liked the added sewn ribbon book mark. The Cover Illustration was so clear, really bringing out the watercolors.

I am glad Bloomsbury put so much attention to make sure this Special Edition series would be one that people could enjoy for years to come. I am a very satisfied customer!