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The Tales of Beedle the Bard
11 January 2010
‘You’ve never heard of The Tales of Beedle the Bard?’ said Ron incredulously. ’You’re kidding, right?’ (From Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows)
“Each time someone buys a copy of Beedle, whether for themselves or to give it as a gift, they will be making a difference to the life of a vulnerable child,” Richard Alderslade, Chief Executive of Lumos, said when the book was first launched in December 2008. You can still make a difference to the life of a vulnerable child by buying the book now.
The Tales of Beedle the Bard was written by J K Rowling and seven copies were originally made: six were given to people who had been closely connected to the publication of the Harry Potter series. The seventh – the Moonstone edition – was sold at auction in December 2007.
A year later, we published three editions of The Tales of Beedle the Bard: two versions featured additional commentary on each fairy tale from Professor Dumbledore and an introduction by J K Rowling. The other, produced by Amazon, was a collectors edition which aimed to closely replicate the look and feel of the original Beedle. There were also over 20 foreign language editions of the book published.
J K Rowling waived her royalties, and all net proceeds from every sale of The Tales of Beedle the Bard were donated to the charity. “The charity edition of The Tales of Beedle the Bard includes the Tales themselves,” J K Rowling said, “translated from the original runes by Hermione Granger, and with illustrations by me, but also notes by Professor Albus Dumbledore, which appear by generous permission of the Hogwarts Headmasters’ Archive.”
Asked about her inspiration for the book, J K Rowling continued: “I had the idea of writing The Tales of Beedle the Bard shortly after completing Deathly Hallows. There was a narrow margin of time when I could have changed the titles of three of the tales (given by Ron in the course of Hallows), but I preferred the challenge of writing stories to fit them – and believe me, it was a challenge when it came to Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump. I added a story that Ron does not name – the Warlock’s Hairy Heart – and include The Tale of the Three Brothers, which has already appeared in Deathly Hallows, and which is crucial to the plot of that novel.”
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. In The Tales of Beedle the Bard, the four remaining stories were revealed for the very first time.
The five tales in The Tales of Beedle the Bard are:
- The Fountain of Fair Fortune;
- The Warlock’s Hairy Heart;
- The Tale of the Three Brothers;
- The Wizard and the Hopping Pot;
- Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump.
“Once again, we’d like to extend our thanks to J K Rowling for her ongoing support and for the wonderful gift of Beedle,” Richard Alderslade, Chief Executive of Lumos, added, “not only the beautiful handcrafted copy we auctioned last year, but for allowing us to publish the tales so that people everywhere can enjoy them.”
The book has received rave reviews:
“I can think of only three authors who are genuine creators of new fairytales: Joan Aiken, Tolkien and E. Nesbit. Rowling is the fourth, blending the comic with the gorgeously grotesque and adding her own delicate line drawings. … All of these tales – funny, sinister and wise and captivating – could have come new-minted from the Brothers Grimm. The pared-down language is tinged with antiquity but never patronises. Her gift for finding the perfect name and the unexpected twist is undimmed. Like Charles Dickens, Rowling has given us a perfect Christmas treat – ideal to slip in any stocking.” – Amanda Craig, The Times (4 December 2008)
“No, not a new book about the young wizard — THAT would be like a birthday combined with Christmas! Instead, she’s written a charming confection of a book from the world of Harry Potter with the sparkle and wit that remind us why she became a publishing sensation in the first place.” – AP (4 December 2008)
“Dump the Xanax and grab J.K. Rowling’s Tales of Beedle the Bard. This charming little book is the best anti-anxiety medication on the market. Under the Bard’s spell, readers will forget at least briefly the tsunami of bad news and find themselves happy and entertained.” – USA Today (5 December 2008)
Read about the launch of Beedle the Bard.
Get your Beedle frequently asked questions answered.
