New JK Rowling Book Headed to Auction Block

Handwritten volume one of just seven from Harry Potter author

By Zach Samalin, Newser Staff

Posted Nov 1, 2007 4:26 PM CDT

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New JK Rowling Book Headed to Auction Block — In this undated photo issued Thursday Nov.1, 2007, by London auction house Sotheby's, showing a page of a book, a hand-written and hand-illustrated copy of 'The Tales Of Beedle The Bard' by JK Rowling, which will be auctioned in December 2007 to raise money for a children's charity. There will only... (Associated Press)

JK Rowling is about to redefine the meaning of "limited edition," publishing only 7 handwritten and hand-illustrated copies of her new book, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, the Daily Telegraph reports. Six copies of the fairy tale collection by the Harry Potter author will go to friends; the seventh is to be auctioned Dec. 13, with proceeds going to charity.

Sotheby's, in a conservative pre-sale guess, estimates the book will bring in $60,000-$100,000, though many speculate it could fetch 10 times as much. The book is a collection of five short fairy tales from the Harry Potter universe; Rowling equated writing something other than Potter to "coming up from a deep dive," and alluded to a forthcoming new children's book. (More Harry Potter stories.)

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