Post by Sphi on Nov 6, 2007 18:56:37 GMT -5
From JK Rowling's website:
And another article about it (spoilers included):
I think it was really thoughtful of JK Rowling to do this for her friends and for charity. It will no doubt bring in a lot of money. Do you think she will (or should) eventually publish the book for the general public as well? I know I would love to read a copy.
Thursday 1 November 2007
Auction of "The Tales of Beedle the Bard"
When it came to finding "thank you" presents for the people who have been most closely involved with Harry Potter over the years, nothing shop-bought seemed personal enough. I therefore decided to hand-write a limited number of copies of "The Tales of Beedle the Bard".
As this idea came to me only after I had finished writing "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", I was left with the task of writing stories for the three titles Ron mentions in that book: "The Fountain of Fair Fortune", "The Wizard and the Hopping Pot," and "Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump" (and if anyone thinks it was easy coming up with a tale called "Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump," let me disabuse them here.) I've added a new story ("The Warlock’s Hairy Heart") and completed the collection with the only fable already told, "The Tale of the Three Brothers".
There were really six people I wanted to honour – the real insiders - but it had to be seven copies, not six. I have therefore decided to auction the seventh book for The Children's Voice (previously the Children's High Level Group), the charity I co-founded to campaign for the rights of institutionalised children.
Each of the seven copies of "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" has a different dedication; all are leather-bound and embellished with silver and different semi-precious stones. The seventh book (the Moonstone edition) will be auctioned at Sotheby's in London on December 13th 2007. The book will be on display to the public for a short period before the sale, and catalogues will be sold, all profits going to the Children's Voice.
Auction of "The Tales of Beedle the Bard"
When it came to finding "thank you" presents for the people who have been most closely involved with Harry Potter over the years, nothing shop-bought seemed personal enough. I therefore decided to hand-write a limited number of copies of "The Tales of Beedle the Bard".
As this idea came to me only after I had finished writing "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", I was left with the task of writing stories for the three titles Ron mentions in that book: "The Fountain of Fair Fortune", "The Wizard and the Hopping Pot," and "Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump" (and if anyone thinks it was easy coming up with a tale called "Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump," let me disabuse them here.) I've added a new story ("The Warlock’s Hairy Heart") and completed the collection with the only fable already told, "The Tale of the Three Brothers".
There were really six people I wanted to honour – the real insiders - but it had to be seven copies, not six. I have therefore decided to auction the seventh book for The Children's Voice (previously the Children's High Level Group), the charity I co-founded to campaign for the rights of institutionalised children.
Each of the seven copies of "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" has a different dedication; all are leather-bound and embellished with silver and different semi-precious stones. The seventh book (the Moonstone edition) will be auctioned at Sotheby's in London on December 13th 2007. The book will be on display to the public for a short period before the sale, and catalogues will be sold, all profits going to the Children's Voice.
And another article about it (spoilers included):
Rowling Completes Book of Fairytales
Nov. 1, 2007, 7:16 AM EST
The Associated Press
LONDON -- J.K. Rowling has completed her first book not to feature teen wizard Harry Potter — an illustrated collection of magical fairy stories titled "The Tales of Beedle the Bard."
Only seven copies of the book are being printed, Rowling said Thursday. One will be auctioned next month to raise money for a children's charity, while the others have been given away as gifts.
Rowling drew the illustrations herself and provided the handwriting for the five stories that make up the collection of fairytales.
"The Tales of Beedle the Bard" is mentioned in the final Potter book, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," as a gift left by headmaster Albus Dumbledore to Harry's friend Hermione, and provides clues that help destroy evil Lord Voldemort.
"'The Tales of Beedle the Bard' is really a distillation of the themes found in the Harry Potter books, and writing it has been the most wonderful way to say goodbye to a world I have loved and lived in for 17 years," Rowling said in a statement.
The volume, bound in brown morocco leather and mounted with silver and semiprecious stones, will be auctioned at Sotheby's on Dec. 13 with a starting price of $62,000. Proceeds will go to The Children's Voice, a charity that helps vulnerable children across Europe.
"Deathly Hallows," the seventh and final installment in Harry's adventures, was published in July.
The seven books have sold nearly 400 million copies and have been translated into 64 languages.
Rowling told the British Broadcasting Corp. that the book of fairytales had helped her say goodbye to Harry's world.
"It's not about Harry, Ron and Hermione, but it comes from that world," she told BBC radio in an interview broadcast Thursday. "So it's been therapeutic in a way."
Rowling said she was working on a new book, "a half-finished book for children that I think will probably be the next thing I publish."
On Wednesday, Rowling and the makers of the Harry Potter movies filed a lawsuit against RDR Books, a small U.S. publisher that plans to bring out a companion volume based on the Harry Potter Lexicon fan Web site.
Rowling has said she plans to produce her own encyclopedia of the wizarding world and says the book would infringe on her intellectual property rights.
Nov. 1, 2007, 7:16 AM EST
The Associated Press
LONDON -- J.K. Rowling has completed her first book not to feature teen wizard Harry Potter — an illustrated collection of magical fairy stories titled "The Tales of Beedle the Bard."
Only seven copies of the book are being printed, Rowling said Thursday. One will be auctioned next month to raise money for a children's charity, while the others have been given away as gifts.
Rowling drew the illustrations herself and provided the handwriting for the five stories that make up the collection of fairytales.
"The Tales of Beedle the Bard" is mentioned in the final Potter book, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," as a gift left by headmaster Albus Dumbledore to Harry's friend Hermione, and provides clues that help destroy evil Lord Voldemort.
"'The Tales of Beedle the Bard' is really a distillation of the themes found in the Harry Potter books, and writing it has been the most wonderful way to say goodbye to a world I have loved and lived in for 17 years," Rowling said in a statement.
The volume, bound in brown morocco leather and mounted with silver and semiprecious stones, will be auctioned at Sotheby's on Dec. 13 with a starting price of $62,000. Proceeds will go to The Children's Voice, a charity that helps vulnerable children across Europe.
"Deathly Hallows," the seventh and final installment in Harry's adventures, was published in July.
The seven books have sold nearly 400 million copies and have been translated into 64 languages.
Rowling told the British Broadcasting Corp. that the book of fairytales had helped her say goodbye to Harry's world.
"It's not about Harry, Ron and Hermione, but it comes from that world," she told BBC radio in an interview broadcast Thursday. "So it's been therapeutic in a way."
Rowling said she was working on a new book, "a half-finished book for children that I think will probably be the next thing I publish."
On Wednesday, Rowling and the makers of the Harry Potter movies filed a lawsuit against RDR Books, a small U.S. publisher that plans to bring out a companion volume based on the Harry Potter Lexicon fan Web site.
Rowling has said she plans to produce her own encyclopedia of the wizarding world and says the book would infringe on her intellectual property rights.
I think it was really thoughtful of JK Rowling to do this for her friends and for charity. It will no doubt bring in a lot of money. Do you think she will (or should) eventually publish the book for the general public as well? I know I would love to read a copy.