UPDATE: It has now been revealed that Amazon.com bought this book, and will be adding pictures and reviews of each of the fairy tales soon. The permanent link will eventually redirect to http://www.amazon.com/beedlebard. The note already contains several high-quality pictures and a video reading the note from JK Rowling inside the cover, and reveals that the book is 157 handwritten pages. Amazon.com editors are now taking questions about the tales on the site's discussion boards.
Amazon has said it won't be publishing the book unless JK Rowling decides to do so, but it will be taking the book on tour to schools and libraries so children can see it themselves. (This was posted in their message boards.)
Our previous article of today's events is below:
The auction for The Tales of Beedle the Bard, JK Rowling's original, handwritten book of wizarding fairy tales, just happened at Sotheby's in London, and the lucky winner walked away with the item for the bargain price of 1,950,000 pounds, or nearly $4 million.
In a Sotheby's release, the auction house said that this is the highest price ever paid at auction for a work by JK Rowling and indeed for any children’s book - it is also the highest price ever paid at auction for any modern literary manuscript.
It was a highly contested match between six bidders; the winner was a representative of London fine art dealer Hazlitt Gooden & Fox.
J.K. Rowling said of the sale, "I am stunned and ecstatic. This will mean so much to children in desperate need of help. It means Christmas has come early for me.”
The copy was one of seven handwritten editions and the only one to be made available for sale publicly. The other six have gone to six people instrumental to Harry since his inception. The leatherbound, handwritten tome was encrusted moonstones, as would be representative of "mothers, lovers and the power of dreams." All proceeds will benefit The Children's Voice Campaign charity, instituted by J.K. Rowling, which goes to help aid children who most need an advocate in the world.
In the release, Dr. Philip Errington, Deputy Director, Sotheby’s Books and Manuscripts department said: “Sotheby’s has been thrilled to work with JK Rowling and The Children’s Voice in selling this wonderful manuscript. This is one of the most exciting pieces of children’s literature to have passed through Sotheby’s. We have to reach back 80 years to find a comparison when we sold the manuscript of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland on behalf of the original Alice.”
In addition a set of signed Comic Relief books went for 1,125 GBP, and an original drawing of the main Harry Potter characters was sold for 34,100 GBP (or three times what was expected).
Also, a Reuters video from the reception, with glimpses of Evanna Lynch and Bonnie Wright in the crowd, may be seen here.
pounds, not ponds. As to publishing the stories, maybe the books would lose value, but she has now got the money for the charity, so it doesn’t matter to her so much if they do become worth less.
Now I feel sorry for the six other owners. I mean how nervous would you be having a $4 million item laying around your house? Also, now that a price has been established will they have to pay taxes on the book’s value. I remember the guy who caught Barry Bond’s record breaking homerun ball and had to sell it because he couldn’t pay the taxes on its estimated value.
The tax man’s collection, more painful than the Cruciatus Curse.
1) Congratulations to Jo and her charity! 2) If I had a copy, I would certainly not tell the tax man, because I couldn’t afford to pay the taxes on that one; 3) If I had a copy, I’d invest in a safety deposit box; 4) I’m glad I was able to afford the $16 catalog! :) 5) I do hope that if it is not printed (I’m hopeful that it will be) that someone might read us the stories some day-Jo?
the publication of a mass edition will not have the slightest negative impact on the value of the seven ‘special’ copies. Those are vailauble because they were hand written and illustrated by the author (each will necessarily have slight differences as she wrote/drew), plus they are rather lavishly and differently decorated with leather, precious gems and metals. Each will retain and increase in value because they are unique.
We were informed, when news of the seven copies was released, that those copies could not be published (more correctly, they could not serve as the manuscript from which a mass edition could be made). Here I also think that the buyer of today’s copy…if not the other six special friends of JKR…had to sign a contract to that effect.
Well, JKR has not said whether or not the Tales will be available in mass edition, that is true. But, given everything we know about her and based on how things have been done in the past, how about we go with “a mass edition is highly probable” instead of the disgruntled pessimism? I mean, really folks, it is getting rather silly at this point to feel JKR is ignoring her fans, especially when every experience over the years has shown that she goes out of her way for fans! And do you seriously think that every publisher connected with the HP series, worldwide, hasn’t been discussing the publication of a mass edition since the news of the Tales broke? The fact that we have not heard from any of them that JKR refuses to allow the book to be published suggests to me that one is on the way… And the fact that the seven copies cannot be used as the basis for a mass edition also suggests that JKR and her agents already have prepared/are preparing one. So, it strikes me its just a matter of “sooner or later, and in some format”, and we’ll get the read all the tales. patience (or constant vigilence if you prefer!)
hey roon, don’t tell me you are an accountant? ;-)
I do know one thing, if I had a copy, I’d be reading it wearing white gloves, and my four year old grandson would not be dribbling chocolate ice cream or spagetti on it!
Blimey! I didn’t think it would go for as much as that. Good job Jo hasn’t said who she’s given the others to; their houses would be prime targets for burglars now. It would be a shame if those recipients had to keep their copies locked up in a bank vault somewhere.
Posted by karen (the one without the avatar!) on December 13, 2007, 06:19 PM
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This is just fantastic. I knew it would bring in a lot, but that amount will really be a great benefit to the charity.
Far more than that sum would hve been raised had the book been published in time to catch the Christmas shopping period. Instead, rather than the real fans, the book that should have been in the possession of the world’s children, is in the safe of the highest bidder.
Actually it is unlikely that a mass edition would have raised more money. A Beedle the Bard book would be many times shorter than FB or QA which together raised about 15.7 million pounds over several years.
Agreed, roon…tho now if a mass edition comes out, the proceeds going to charity will be on top of the 2 million punds raised today. and, that combination would not be bad at all….what a lot of good would be achieved by so few words, huh?
I get the feeling that she will publish the stories as part of the forthcoming encyclopedia. It would create more interest for it. We just have to be patient.
He lowered his eyes to the first question: [i]a) Give the incantation, and b) describe the wand movement required to make objects fly...[/i][br]Harry had a fleeting memory of a club soaring high into the air and landing loudly on the thick skull of a trol
pounds, not ponds. As to publishing the stories, maybe the books would lose value, but she has now got the money for the charity, so it doesn’t matter to her so much if they do become worth less.