ali ♥ answers “Why did they choose to change the title...”

Michael asked this question about Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1):

Why did they choose to change the title for the U.S.?

ali ♥ In the United States, the term philosopher commonly refers to a scholar of philosophy, rather than an alchemist or magician.

Rowling and her American …moreIn the United States, the term philosopher commonly refers to a scholar of philosophy, rather than an alchemist or magician.

Rowling and her American editors decided to change the name to Sorcerer because it had a deeper magical presence and would not misinform U.S. audiences of Flamel's occupation.

You can read a bit more about the change here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0241527/f...(less)

flag

View all 5 comments

Janice Chan It stayed the same in Canada as well. Interesting read from a UK publisher about why some book titles are changed in the US https://championspublishin ...more
Jan 13, 2020 08:51AM · flag

B Harris-Hamm This is also the case in Canada.. where a philosopher is an academic type. But they still stuck with Philosopher here even though we speak like Americ ...more
Apr 29, 2024 09:12AM · flag

More questions about Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone…

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

by J.K. Rowling

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

About Goodreads Q&A

Ask and answer questions about books!

You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.

See Featured Authors Answering Questions

Learn more