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Even Nicolas Flamel, a famous French author and philanthropist historically associated with alchemy, was fictionalized long before Rowling, most notably in Victor Hugo's 1831 novel Notre Dame de Paris, or The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Lovecraft's earlier works and features in pieces by authors like Umberto Eco, Terry Pratchett, and Dean Koontz. This more fantastical interpretation goes as far back as some of H.P. While in the past alchemy was more academic, even verging on scientific, it's now used almost interchangeably with magic and witchcraft. The historical idea of the philosopher's stone didn't actually describe a specific item, as in Harry Potter, but the singular Philosopher's Stone in Rowling's book did share the properties of the alchemical substance.Īlchemy and the philosopher's stone often feature in fantasy stories nowadays.
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For centuries, alchemists sought this mysterious substance, "also called 'the tincture' or 'the powder" according to, believing that they could use it to turn base metals into precious metals such as gold and silver and also to cure illnesses and even bring about immortality. RELATED: Study Finds Hogwarts Has Film and TV's Priciest BathroomsĬontrary to Levine's concerns, the idea of a philosopher's stone does have roots in mysticism, specifically Western alchemy. Rowling eventually suggested changing the title to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and that's what Scholastic went with. The issue proved to be with the word "philosopher," which isn't inherently mystical. Rowling that the publisher wanted "a title that said ‘magic’ more overtly to American readers." Levine suggested titles like Harry Potter and the School of Magic, but Rowling refused them.
The first harry potter book series#
Errington explained in his biography of series author J.K. Levine was concerned that American readers wouldn't be drawn to that title. In Britain, and the majority of the world, the book detailing Harry's entry into the Wizarding World and his first year at Hogwarts is called Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, but Scholastic publishing head Arthur A. But, as some fans know, even adapting the books for publication for an American audience came with a small conflict. Some of those issues arose when adapting the books into movies - many fans still finding fault with some of the things that directors and screenwriters chose to change and remove - and others came from fan demands for better representation and issues with both the stories and their author's viewpoints. The Harry Potterfranchise has been going strong for almost 25 years now, despite a multitude of controversies.