Celebrating 25 Years of Harry Potter

“Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” is celebrating the silver anniversary on Sunday, June 26, 2022. The first of the seven-part of the world’s greatest children’s books (Harry Potter series) was released 25 years ago in the United Kingdom on June 26, 1997, by Bloomsbury.

Harry James Potter was first introduced to the world as the boy who lived by JK Rowling in the Philosopher’s Stone. It was also the first time when a Harry Potter book had hit the bookshelves. As the author shared a post on the occasion, nostalgia has hit the netizens hard.

“25 years ago today, I saw Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in a bookstore (Waterstones, Prince’s Street, Edinburgh) for the very first time. It was one of the best moments of my life. Thank you, @BloomsburyBooks, for taking a chance on a total unknown,” tweeted Rowling adding, “I had absolutely no idea what was coming as I stood dumbstruck in that book shop, staring at my name on the spine of a published novel. Thank you to every single reader who boarded the Hogwarts Express in 1997 and stuck with Harry until the very end. What a journey it was.”

Today, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone has sold 120 million copies and counting, while more than 500 million copies of the entire seven-book series have flown off the shelves. The subsequent film franchise is the fourth highest grossing of all time with $9.2 billion in worldwide receipts.