Friday, December 14, 2007

The $4 Million Fairy Tales





In the Harry Potter series, The Tales of the Beedle Bard is a collection of stories told to children from wizarding families. When famed wizard Albus Dumbledore died, he left his copy to Hermione Granger in the hope that it would prove "entertaining and instructive". (Which, of course, it did.)

In the real world there are only seven copies of The Tales of the Beedle Bard, each hand-written and illustrated by J.K. Rowling herself. The books are all bound in leather and decorated with silver and semi-precious stones. The first six were given as gifts to people who helped with the Harry Potter books. The seventh was just sold at auction for four MILLION dollars.

The money from the sale will be donated to The Children's Voice charity, which "campaigns for children's rights across Europe, especially in Eastern Europe, where many children and teenagers grow up in institutions."

How absolutely wonderful! Read the CNN article here.

15 comments:

Spring said...

Man. Why didn't she give me one? LOL. I'm the biggest Harry Potter fan ever!

Patsee said...

Four million? Do you think it'd've sold for that much if the illustrator what's-her-face had written it?

Oh and Ananka, I thought you might like to read this:

http://uk.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUKDEL8428320071214

A man bit a rabid dog in the throat, instead of the other way around.

Nellie said...

*moans with longing* Oh I would LOVE that! It would probably have 'Babbity Rabbity and her Cackling Stump'! I read about it in The Deathly Hallows, and it sounds so darned funny.

FooFoo said...

oooh! i'd love to get one of those!
but i can't believe it auctioned off for that much!
wow!

ookamishinzui said...

if only I could write books like that....

Anonymous said...

THE SAME ANANYMOUS
____________________
I'd rater see kiki in pink.

International Mastermind said...

I think that there should be a copy online or something, available for the public to read.

It wouldn't be fair to keep something like that secret!

kafkadreams said...

yeah, I agree with IM. I want to read them too!

Hazel said...

I think Amazon has a search-inside thing.

Kitty said...

OhOhOh!!! I want one!! XD

udon't need2knowmyname said...

Hiding that from all common folk like us is like hiding that the world will destruct in 5, 4,3,2,1 BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
O and btw, Sorry, but this definately beats KIKI in pink.

George Weasley said...

man......i am like....one of her biggest fans, but she doesn't know it. My fav books are the harry Potter series, Kiki strike series, and Inkheart series, though not in that order. If only JK rowling had donated a book to LA libraries.....if only, i guess. but that's handwritten and drawn! the stories must be awesome....:D

Georgina weasley said...

kiki in pink would be such a sight

georgina weasley said...

kiki in pink....wow

Funny Drama Girl said...

KIKI IN PINK?!?!?! That ruins the effect! are you three mad??!!