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NOVEMBER 1, 2007 at 8:10 AM
Posted by GERI
Source: BBC
Author of the Harry Potter series, JK Rowling, updated
her site earlier today to announce that she has written a set of fairytales (The Tales of Beedle the Bard) for charity.
Each of the titles were mentioned in the seventh and final book of the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and six of the seven books were given as 'thank you' gifts to people who have been involved with the series for years. The seventh book will be auctioned off to raise money for her charity, The Children's Voice.
Rowling states that writing the books was a good way to say goodbye to Potter:
People kept saying to me 'you'll be glad to have a break from writing', when of course I wasn't taking a break at all.
I was literally writing out - as these are handwritten books - these new stories which has been a wonderful way to say goodbye. It's like coming up from a deep dive.
Auction house Sotheby's will auction the book on December 13th. A description of the book is below:
Containing clues that were to prove crucial to Harry Potter's final mission to destroy Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes, The Tales of Beedle the Bard is the volume of five wizarding fairy-tales left to Hermione Granger by Albus Dumbledore in the seventh and final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Only one - The Tale of the Three Brothers - is recounted in the book. Now, for the first time, JK Rowling reveals the four remaining tales.
Bound in brown morocco leather, and mounted with hand-chased silver ornaments and seven moonstones, the volume of five stories is one of just seven individual copies - each quite different from the other - hand-written and illustrated by JK Rowling. In a dedication written in the front of the book, she says: "Six of these books have been given to those most closely connected to the Harry Potter books during the last 17 years. This seventh copy will be auctioned; the proceeds to help institutionalised children who are in desperate need of a voice. So to whoever now owns this book, thank you - and fair fortune be yours!"
Sotheby's believe that the work will realise a price in the region of £30,000-50,000. All proceeds from the sale will enable The Children's Voice to transform the lives of thousands of vulnerable children. The charity campaigns for child rights across Europe - particularly Eastern Europe - where over a million children and teenagers are growing up in institutions, often in unacceptable conditions. One of its central aims is to move children out of institutions and into loving families, by building systems to ensure parents can care for their own children and by improving national fostering and adoption programmes for children who are separated from their families.
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Lady of the Rings
Points: 4117
Padfoot4387 says:
When I first saw the title of this news story, I thought we'd be able to buy the books at the local Barnes and Noble or something - I didn't realize they were special individual copies. I wish I could've gotten one; they sound really cool.
Posted Nov 1, 2007 at 5:54 PM EST
Student
Points: 233
Artep says:
I hope I can get my hands on those books. I will read almost anything from J K Rowling
Posted Nov 1, 2007 at 6:09 PM EST
Witch
Points: 614
Harry_Hermoine_Fanz says:
Aww Jo is so nice! It's so creative of the fairytales!
Posted Nov 1, 2007 at 7:00 PM EST
Order of Merlin, 1st Class
Points: 1937
Phoenix1114 says:
I think it's great what she is doing, but at the same time I'm disappointed. I would love to have a copy of my own. I think she would have made more money for charity if she had the book published and available for everyone to purchase like she did in the past.
Posted Nov 1, 2007 at 7:19 PM EST
Head Boy
Points: 490
moonyspatronus87 says:
She's just does the most amazing things sometimes. She's got to be one of the most creative and generous people of our time. It's never been about the money to her, never.
Posted Nov 1, 2007 at 7:34 PM EST
Mrs. Rob Pattinson
Points: 3851
Tonks&Lupin4ever says:
:( I wish we could read it.
Posted Nov 1, 2007 at 7:54 PM EST
Wizard
Points: 575
Canis Diris says:
Wow i would love to get my hand on that book, it would finish any remorse I have for the series. This doesn't mean I am not going to watch the movies coming out anymore. I mean I wanna see how the movies fare against the books (or something of that manner) because the OotP was actually quite distasteful. I mean OotP was once my favorite in the series, I could tell you everything that goes on in that book (my now favorite in the series is DH). I am just afraid that the next movies are going to be awful because they just try to rush the movie for a release the following year.
Posted Nov 1, 2007 at 8:12 PM EST
Squib
Points: 185
cshorte says:
I wish I could get my hands on a copy!!!!
Posted Nov 1, 2007 at 8:20 PM EST
Order of Merlin, 1st Class
Points: 1864
Bright Eyes says:
It's so good of her to keep writing straight after the 7th book for a charity and her close helpers! I hope it raises lots of money! And she made 7 of them... she loves that number...
Posted Nov 1, 2007 at 9:37 PM EST
Sirius's Veil Thrower
Points: 4666
SiriusBlacksGodDaughter says:
Fairytales? Are you serious? Wow.
~Drish~
Posted Nov 1, 2007 at 11:47 PM EST
Star-Crossed Lover
Points: 2928
RogueRenegade says:
I cannot understand all these people who are posting what a lovely and generous person she is. I think she is being entirely selfish and unthoughtful. If she really wanted to help charities, she would publish the book to the masses and allow all proceeds to go to charity. She would definitely make a much larger impact from many books being sold compared to one auctioned off to some wealthy person that has too much money for their own good.
Posted Nov 2, 2007 at 12:33 AM EST
Auror
Points: 4081
RON's all up in heRmiONe says:
That's really great of her to do this for charity! She's such a nice person. I also thought the book would be for the public to buy, but now I know it isn't. I would love to read that book, I hope she does allow them to make more copies to sell to the public, maybe at other charity events. Like, say they sell the book in certain book stores for around $30, the money we spend on the book would all go to that charity. It would be like a worldwide charity event that we can all give to. I have a feeling she might include these stories in the encyclopedia she said she's going to write, but I might be wrong(it would be great if she would).
Posted Nov 2, 2007 at 12:44 AM EST
Delusional Army Soldier
Points: 4400
ILoveHP! says:
Wooooowwww! If only I had the amount of money! Gosh it would like some kind of a dream come true!
Posted Nov 2, 2007 at 1:19 AM EST
Order of Merlin, 3rd Class
Points: 1453
smart hermione says:
Its a great idea that she came up with. Pity they're not gonna be published, but i think that iots great that jk is once again cpntributing to cahrity. Lucky person who has enough money to get that book
Posted Nov 2, 2007 at 4:11 AM EST
Student
Points: 241
SmittenKitten says:
Ahhhh!! *cries* I wish it would go in stores, I'd go to midnight release for that!! I wonder how much they'll auction it off for?
Nichi
Posted Nov 2, 2007 at 4:22 AM EST
Auror
Points: 2563
School Governor says:
Wow, there are going to be six very lucky people (and one very rich person) to be given such a unique and personal gift.
I wouldn't be to keep such a book in my house, it would have to be stored in a bank vault.
Posted Nov 2, 2007 at 4:56 AM EST
Prefect
Points: 334
The Grey Gent says:
I hope we'll have a chance to read those tales too...
Posted Nov 2, 2007 at 5:50 AM EST
Witch
Points: 536
-Rebellion- says:
I would like to read them!! Why won't be publishing a version for the fans??
Posted Nov 2, 2007 at 7:31 AM EST
Professor
Points: 1047
the cute slytherin says:
I absolutley love the idea that she is writing The Tales of Beedle the Bard you gives you a little bit more of idea of Harrys world. Because honestly it is kind of like we all grew up in harry potter by just reading the books. And plus it is for charity.
Posted Nov 2, 2007 at 10:12 AM EST
Auror
Points: 2218
Feelin' Felix Felicis says:
I would love to read these books but I never will because I don't have that kind of money to bid and win. Yes, the money will go to charity but think of how much money could be made if these books were published. Harry Potter fandom is global.
To Barbarian Black: I agree with you 100%
Posted Nov 2, 2007 at 10:41 AM EST
Professor
Points: 1097
Octavian Petronius says:
It is great that she has written these seven works for charity and I hope that she makes a killing at the auction. However, I believe it would be wrong for her not to make a printed copy of the stories for the rest of the fans. That money could also go to charities and would help get us more into the world of HP. If she is not going to make a printed version, it would have been better to never have known these seven were made.
Posted Nov 2, 2007 at 10:45 AM EST
Auror
Points: 2209
Scarlett Kent says:
I can't wait to see how much this book will go for, and who will be the highest bidder! If I had the money, I'd bid on it myself, and then create a website for it, so that everyone could enjoy it.
Posted Nov 2, 2007 at 1:22 PM EST
I Am Queen of My Castle
Points: 3918
Hecate3fold says:
Unless I missed something there was no mention that the book will not be published after this hand written copy is auctioned off. I'm certain that after this is done and there has been adequate publicity for the book, it will be released for the public to purchase, but not until after it has been duly hyped to to point that everyone has to have one.
Posted Nov 2, 2007 at 1:30 PM EST
Auror
Points: 2852
H/HrShipper4Ever says:
Wow. Thats sooo nice of JK. Shes a really great person. I can't wait to see what info is in the book.
Posted Nov 2, 2007 at 2:01 PM EST
Northern Belle
Points: 3968
American Angel says:
Well, she obviously had good intentions with auctioning one off for charity and using the other six as "thank you's", but I'm not going to pretend like I'm not disappointed that she would do that. :( I've been reading these books since I was 11, and to know that JK has written a book so closely related to HP that I and her other nearly half a billon fans can't read is disappointing. I guess they're just "fairytales", but still. Plus, she could give a lot more to charity if she allowed her hundreds of millions of fans to buy the book, rather than just one extremely rich person.
Posted Nov 2, 2007 at 3:20 PM EST
Order of Merlin, 3rd Class
Points: 1426
~Hermione says:
I wish she published them. The books are really precious and the people that recieved them as a gift should be really happy.
Posted Nov 2, 2007 at 4:20 PM EST
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