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I've been so excited to finally start reading the Harry Potter books to my little ones. I got a great deal on this first one Used for only a couple of dollars, plus free shipping and no tax! The book has some writing in it that I didn't expect, such as underlining throughout, and some margin notes here and there. But overall, great buy. Of course, a great read! We'll be purchasing the second book of the series soon!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I wasn't aware pages were ripped and writing was quite fades on certain pages. Also, looks like some pages got wet and were super crinkly so they were more difficult to read. I learned that cheap isn't always best. It was still a great story though but I would pay extra so I didn't struggle with such issues
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I bought this book for my daughter who is 21. I have all of the the series. I love the Harry Potter books. I believe the first one is the starting point. It allows the reader to get to know what Harry's life was before he found out he was a wizard. The way Rowlings brings the audience into the storyline was totally cool. I thought this book was one of the best one that she wrote. From the bookstore to the train station to Hogswart. Where Harry learned all his life values. Where he came to have friends. Rowlings imaginations brought you threw each turn and brought you out in another side that you never saw coming. Characters that you couldn't even image. The different twist and turns to the puzzle Harry and his friends have to figure out to understand the value of the Sorcerer's stone and what Voltomer wants with it. I highly recommend this book. To understand the series you must always start at the beginning.....Read full review
I had held off on reading any of the Harry Potter novels for a long time, assuming both, in my arrogance, that they were much too popular to be of any quality, and that they were written for small children, and therefore held no value to a discerning, literate (read: snobbish) adult. I was wrong. The first novel is childish inasmuch as it doesn't have sex in it and it doesn't use adult language. There's some violence, which increases in later novels, but it's mostly G-rated. I can't believe I waited until 2007 to read these books. The novel is never condescending--Rowling never talks down to the reader. The story is funny and extremely imaginative, and you really feel sorry for poor Harry Potter and what he must put up with, and consequently you feel joy for him when he goes to Hogwarts, escaping his terrible life on Privet Drive. Although, employing her constant use of verisimilitude, Rowling returns Harry to Privet Drive at the end of the novel, proving that even with magic, life isn't perfect. I really enjoyed the way Rowling tied everything up at the end of the novel; it was written like a very good mystery in that respect. Although it may seem somewhat amateurish to have an enemy explain everything to Potter right before attempting to kill him (a disreputable movie cliche), that didn't make much difference for me--I was more interested in how cleverly the story had been written. It's really funny to think that people opposed this book for its supposed link to the "dark arts." What year is this? 1999, when this was published. Are we still burning witches? Rowling remarks on witch-burnings in a later book, humorously mentioning that when villagers caught a real witch (as opposed to a "Muggle" mistaken for a witch), the witch would use magic to protect herself from the flames, and that the burning would give her a tickling sensation as she pretended to burn to death in agony. Rowling has very realistic characters, and she captures foibles and endearing insecurities excellently. It's all believable--you feel angry with Harry and happy with Harry. I honestly cannot think of anything wrong with these books--even the length of the book is just right. And Rowling's books become a LOT longer later on, which just adds to the pleasure of reading them because the story lasts longer. They do not feel overlong. The Order of the Phoenix, for example, is 870 pages long (in hardcover form). That's about three times as long as the first novel! Anyway, if you're like me and haven't read any of these books because of some foolish prejudice, I highly recommend you at least read the first one and let a little magic into your life.Read full review
The story begins with Hagrid bringing the infant Harry to Privit Drive, where he links up with Professors Dumbledore and McGonnagal. Harry's parents were just killed by Voldermort, the most powerful dark wizard in history. Harry not only somehow survived Voldermort's attack, but the magical rebound destroyed Voldermort in the process. Dumbledore gives the orphan child to Petunia Dursley, Harry's aunt, to protect him until Harry becomes old enough to go to school. In a very Brother's Grimm story line, Harry is treated less than kindly by his guardians and comes out of the experience humble but otherwise well adjusted. On his 11th birthday, Hagrid returns and explains to Harry that he is a wizard and is accepted to Hogwards School of Wizardry and Witchcraft. At Hogwarts, Harry is awed by the wondrous workings of magic and quickly makes friends for life: Ronald and Hermione. Just as quickly, he meets the boy who will be a major nuisance for the rest of the series: Draco. Harry has mixed success academically, but has especial trouble with Professor Snape. Snape has a loathing for Harry that goes back to when Harry's father was in school. To balance out his so-so book smarts and the irrational hatred of a professor, Harry learns that he is a natural at broom flying and makes school history by becoming a member of the Quidich team as a fist year student. The real plot, however, centers around the Sorcerer's Stone, which is an enchanted chemical that can prolong life indefinitely or even raise the dead. Harry is certain that Voldermort, is after it. Harry and co race to discover its secret hiding place before Voldermort's minion does. Rowling has created a rich world of magic that is believable. She blends an exciting mystery with fantastic fantasy. She was able to create a book that appeals to adults while still appropriate for younger children- no small feat at all. Rowling fills her world with ghosts, animated paintings, moving stairs, shape changers, mythical beasts, interesting people and amazing spells. So much detail is given that she can easily hide important clues in plain sight. As a reader, it is easy to miss a clue because the mind is distracted with what the ghosts or paintings are doing. Rowling provides many unique and interesting characters. No two are even close to being alike (excpet for the Weasly twins, but they are effectively one mind sharing two bodies). Only with the three main characters can the reader really identify with: Harry, Ron and Hermione. We get to see what is in Harry's mind because the story is told from his perspective. He is so close to the other two that we practically know what they are thinking. I think what really sets this book apart from others of this genre is that she was able to bring traditional mythology to the modern world without being a revisionist. It is a pleasure to recognize the creatures from Bulfinch, Brothers's Grimm and other historical sources by how they look and act. Too many times when I read modern fantasy, if the writer did not give me the name of the monster, then I would never have reconginzed its origins. John Holland-author of Necklace of TerrersylvanousRead full review
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