Broomsticks And Owls

by **Holly Golightly** » Friday 11 April 2003 4:38:30pm

Can someone please tell me WHY the first book is called the Sorcerers' Stone in America as oposed to the Philolopher's Stone?

Beause all I have been able to find is that there is a change, but no reason for why it was changed except things like
"because Americans are wierd"

Thanks a bunch!

by **MikeT** » Friday 11 April 2003 4:52:33pm

Well, it all boils down to different opinions.

The book was originally called "Philosopher's Stone" when it was published in 1997 in Britain! However, when Bloomsbury sold it to Scholastic, to sell in America, Scholastic said that Philosoher had a different meaning than it does and they thought "Sorcerer" would fit better.

People argue it was because a philosopher is not counted magical in America and is like a "Pshycologist" (which it isn't). I think we're talkin about this in depth in another topic, but I can't remember which. When I come across it, i'll let you know!

OH WAIT, it was "COS fav. so far" in the Books forum!

by **GreenViper 1.0** » Tuesday 13 May 2003 8:17:51pm

Yes,Holly Golightly,americans are weird,but in the movie it says Philosopher.

by **azn wizard** » Tuesday 13 May 2003 10:11:32pm

my goodness...this topic has been discussed and debated to death...yes i think itz just a thing about preferences and style...cuz US english and British english does sound different and some words mean differently i think....

by **GreenViper 1.0** » Saturday 17 May 2003 8:36:52am

Isn't the accent different?

by **JessicaMalfoy** » Saturday 17 May 2003 1:38:01pm

I guess that makes me weird. I'm american. If People Don't know by now that the Britsh have different meaning to different words than there stupid. Not werid. I know what Philosopher is and I knew it before Harry Potter. So I think you unAmericans might want to rethink what you just said.

by **azn wizard** » Sunday 18 May 2003 3:42:49am

oh...im sure they're just kidding

by **Holly Golightly** » Sunday 18 May 2003 7:14:20am

GreenViper 1.0 wrote:Yes,Holly Golightly,americans are weird,but in the movie it says Philosopher.

Acutally, the american movie said sorcerers... because I saw one of hte ripped ones of the net, and coudn't figure out why they were saying sorcerers, not philosephers...

Note, at this stage I didnt' know that there was a diff name in America!

by **Sacred Guardian** » Sunday 18 May 2003 4:39:18pm

well, i don't understand the philosopher, a philosopher isn't necessarily magical, they are just a great thinker, that is why i like sorcerer better

by **Holly Golightly** » Monday 19 May 2003 5:06:27am

Well,the reason I like Philisephers is because it's basically what I heard first, and got very used to. I had been using phliosephers about a yr or so before I heard of the sorcerers stone thing, so I was well and truely used to it by that stage!

But oh wells!

by **Neo** » Monday 19 May 2003 6:19:00pm

I think it doesn't make so much difference when you know both.

by **Sacred Guardian** » Monday 19 May 2003 11:28:53pm

yeah, i don't think that it makes a difference, i just think that SS sounds cooler

by **Blaise Zabini** » Monday 19 May 2003 11:48:07pm

I just thought that they used different names because American kids are more likely to associate the word' sorcerer' with magic than they are the word 'philosopher.' When I was younger, 'philosopher' made me think of figures like Plato and Aristotle sitting around and being old men. Not the type of book I would have been interested in reading! And anyway, the majority of six-year old kids have no idea what a Philosopher even is!

by **azn wizard** » Tuesday 20 May 2003 5:23:23am

isn't that what philosopher means? in US english anywayz...back to the point...itz just different meanings for different english...

by **Mistress Siana** » Tuesday 20 May 2003 9:40:21pm

This sorta confuses me...are there different connotations of the word philosopher in GB and the USA??

Broomsticks And Owls

Philosopher v's Sorcerer

Philosopher v's Sorcerer

Who is online