J. K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
Harry Potter . Since the release of the first novel , Harry Potter and the Philosopher 's Stone , on 26 June 1997 , the books have found immense popularity , critical acclaim and commercial success worldwide . Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the seventh and final novel of the Harry Potter series , written by British author J. K. Rowling . Harry Potter and the Philosopher 's Stone is the first novel in the Harry Potter series and J. K. Rowling 's debut novel , first published in 1997 by Bloomsbury . Joanne Rowling , ( [ ˈrəʊlɪŋ ] born 31 July 1965 ) , pen names J. K. Rowling and Robert Galbraith , is a British novelist , screenwriter and film producer best known as the author of the Harry Potter fantasy series . The seven-year period that followed saw the death of her mother , birth of her first child , divorce from her first husband and relative poverty until she finished the first novel in the series , Harry Potter and the Philosopher 's Stone , in 1997 .