Books J.K. Rowling thanks fans on Harry Potter 20th anniversary By Christopher Rosen Christopher Rosen Christopher Rosen is the former executive editor at Entertainment Weekly. He left EW in 2018. EW's editorial guidelines Published on June 26, 2017 07:24AM EDT To mark 20 years since the release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, author J.K. Rowling is thanking fans for their support. "Twenty years ago today, a world that I had lived in alone was suddenly open to others. It's been wonderful. Thank you," Rowling wrote early Monday. The author used the special #HarryPotter20 hashtag, which automatically includes a new Potter-centric Twitter emoji (a lightning bolt and rounded glasses, to represent Harry Potter himself) when posted. The release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (later retitled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for U.S. audiences) in 1997 launched the Potter franchise, which numbers seven total books, eight movie adaptations (the final book, The Deathly Hallows, was split into two parts for theatergoers), and additional material (including the spinoff film, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and the sequel play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child). That Rowling offered a message to fans via her Twitter account on Monday is fitting as well. The author has become prolific on the social media platform, frequently revealing new information about the series she created in 140 characters or less.