JK Rowling had to change name of Harry Potter book in US because Americans don’t know what a philosopher is

JK Rowling made the decision to change the name of one of her Harry Potter books for readers in the US after concerns they may not know what a key part meant.

It's safe to say the Harry Potter books and films have become a deep-rooted part of British culture.

Perhaps not quite as much as tea and fish and chips, but nevertheless, the storylines are still very quintessential.

When the time came for the first book to hit the shelves in the US, however, author JK Rowling had some concerns over the title and how well it would be received across the pond.

She was worried that Americans wouldn't understand or care what a 'philosopher' was in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

As such, she decided to switch to something more overtly magical in order to get those sales pumping.

The book was the first in the series. (Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)

Ultimately, they went with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

And something within me feels as though this just sounds slightly better in general?

Per their official definitions, a philosopher is a 'learned academic' while a sorcerer is a 'wizard', so it's not difficult to understand how they arrived at the new title.

That being said, Arthur A. Levine - who previously headed Scholastic, which bought the US publishing rights for Harry Potter - wanted to go with a title that hit home the storyline even more.

JK Rowling later said she regretted the name change. (Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images)

Clearly he lacked a lot of faith in American children's understanding of things, as he wanted to go with Harry Potter and the School of Magic.

But it seems as though Rowling was quick to turn it down.

Philip W. Errington wrote about this exchange in his Rowling bibliography, stating: "Levine noted that he needed a title that said 'magic' more overtly to American readers.

"He [Levine] continued, 'I certainly did not mind Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone but I can see... why a book that is titled Philosopher’s Stone might seem more arcane or something.

"So the title that I had suggested to me and which I then turned to Jo was Harry Potter and the School of Magic.

"Jo very thoughtfully said, 'No, that doesn’t feel right to me'.

"She went on to say that 'there are objects' she would like before suggesting the Sorcerer’s Stone. And that's exactly what they went with."

Whilst speaking for BBC Red Nose Day in 2001, she was open about her regret following the name change.

She said: "To be honest, I wish I hadn't agreed now, but it was my first book, and I was so grateful that anyone was publishing me I wanted to keep them happy."