
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter fans had every reason to rejoice on Wednesday as HBO unveiled the official trailer for the upcoming Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone television series. While excitement within the fandom has been palpable, some Potterheads may be confused by the name of the show, which is inspired by the first book of the series: Isn’t it supposed to be a Sorcerer’s Stone?!?
To Americans, the first film and book of the Harry Potter franchise are titled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Most of the rest of the world actually refers to the work by its original British title, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. The man responsible for this title change was Arthur A. Levine, the U.S. editor of Scholastic, which published the series in the United States. The story goes that Levine didn’t think the term “philosopher” would bode well with American readers, and feared that it might sound too old-fashioned to pique any interest.
Even in the 2001 feature film adaptation, dialogue referring to the philosopher’s stone was changed to the sorcerer’s stone for distribution in the United States.
In his Rowling bibliography, J.K. Rowling: A Bibliography 1997-2003, writer Philip Errington wrote about the supposed exchange between Levine and Rowling regarding the name change for the book.
“[Levine] continued, ‘I certainly did not mind Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone but I can see, if you forget now what happened after ... why a book that is titled Philosopher’s Stone might seem more arcane or something. So the title that I had suggested to me and which I then turned to Jo was Harry Potter and the School of Magic. Jo very thoughtfully said, No ― that doesn’t feel right to me ... there are objects that I would like. What if we called it the Sorcerer’s Stone?’”
Changing the title for American audiences is something Rowling came to regret. In an interview with the BBC in 2001, the famed author admitted that she wished she hadn’t agreed to it.
“They changed the first title, but with my consent,” Rowling said. “To be honest, I wish I hadn't agreed now, but it was my first book, and I was so grateful that anyone was publishing me, I wanted to keep them happy.”
Where Philosopher’s Stone and Sorcerer’s Stone differ, however, is in their historical accuracy. Rowling’s reference to a philosopher’s stone is based on a mythical substance coveted by alchemists, while a sorcerer’s stone is merely fiction.
In an interview with Scholastic published in 2002, Levine expanded on the notable differences between the British and American versions of the novel, including the book design and the translation of British slang.
“We just have lavished, even from the very beginning, even before it was a famous property, a lot of attention on creating the exact feeling that we wanted, down to each of the characters who writes a note in these books having his or her own signature,” Levine said. “I think in the beginning I was very concerned that readers who are experiencing the world of Hogwarts for the first time would be able to distinguish between the invented language that Jo was using and British slang, so there was some translation going on.”

The HBO show will adapt Rowling’s seven beloved novels, with each season expanding on a particular book. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, which premieres this Christmas, covers the events in the first book of Rowling’s series.
Dominic McLaughlin, 11, stars as Harry Potter, while Arabella Stanton and Alaistair Stout will portray Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. Potter, Granger and Weasley, of course, were famously brought to life in the franchise films by Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint.
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