The Tales of Beedle Bard by JK Rowling (Collector’s Edition) arrived today. It was as cool as opening a package from Apple. Thank you Jo!
Opening the box. The gift case is bigger than I expected. I also saw the regular edition in the store and was hoping this would be spectacular by far. It is.
Slipping off the case cover, you have a big leathery book hallowed out with a side pocket for your Beedle the Bard reproductions of the prints and the velvety pouch with The Tales of Beedle the Bard.
I chose to look at the prints first. Love the skull.
Lots of great sketches. A whole envelope.
The fountain is my favourite. I might frame this one.
In case you need to be taunted, here’s the gift package.
The Gryffindor red and gold embroidered pouch containing the tales.
Gasping. The title page is beautiful. I love it.
Jo’s handwritten introduction.
The rest of the book looks like Cochin Wizard (?) to me. (That’s a font.) It’s awesome. Cute metal clasp. There are more photos to come. Can’t talk now ... reading.
UPDATE
Opening the box from Amazon.
This side up.
The Tales cover.
The book also smells good.
Marbled end papers.
The title page. Still gorgeous every time I open the book. Loving this present.
Posted by Monique at 09:52 PM.
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Shopping at Barnes & Noble between December 4 and 10th? Use the HP Education Fanon Bookfair voucher (cite #352096) and a portion of the proceeds will be donated back to HPEF for their literacy endeavours.
Here’s the full scope from the HPEF newsletter:
MAKE THIS A VERY HARRY HOLIDAY BY SUPPORTING THE HPEF BEEDLE BOOKFAIR AT BARNES & NOBLE!
Are you planning to buy a copy or twelve of The Tales of Beedle the Bard this holiday season? Wait! Be sure you get your Beedle from a Barnes & Noble store between Thursday, December 4th (the release day for the new book by JK Rowling!) and Wednesday, December 10th using the HPEF Bookfair voucher. In fact, make all your holiday book, CD, and DVD purchases during the Bookfair dates! Every B&N purchase made then and using the voucher or the HPEF number of 352096 will have a portion of the proceeds donated back to HPEF to continue our literacy endeavors.
So how can you help? Go to any Barnes & Noble from December 4-10, 2008. Shop in the store for anything, that’s right, ANYTHING.* Take all your items to the cashier, and give them the voucher or Bookfair number before you pay. After you’ve made your purchase, take your items home, and know that you just helped HPEF. And if your B&N has a Café, use the voucher for those lattes and scones you get. Every penny helps.
You can double your giving. Every B&N has a Holiday Book Drive. When you come into your store, select a book to purchase and donate to their Book Drive recipient and use the Bookfair voucher. One purchase helps HPEF and a child in your community. See a bookseller in your local store for details.
It’s really that easy. Every single purchase you make during our Bookfair helps. It’s your gift to us without having to worry about what’s on our wish list. Make the gift even better by forwarding this email and information on to everyone you know…family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, other HP fans, and anyone else you can think of. You don’t have to be a part of HPEF to make a beneficial Bookfair purchase, and you don’t have to buy just HP titles. Anyone can buy anything to help. It’s such an easy way to help in these tough economic times.
Want to know more? Need a voucher? Visit our page here for further details and a full FAQ. In advance, thank you for your support, and a very safe and happy holiday season to you and yours.
Heather French
HPEF Bookfair Liaison
*Ok, there’s a few exceptions…no gift cards, textbooks, magazine subscriptions, or membership fees will apply to the Bookfair. But, really, anything else helps!
Posted by Monique at 10:12 AM.
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In December 2007, Amazon bought JK Rowling’s handwritten book The Tales of Beedle the Bard for $4 Million. At the time I thought it was awesome for Amazon to have bought the book, and that it was fitting for the number of copies they’ve sold of the books and ... well isn’t that nice.
I was also pretty desperate to hold that book. The little white gloves of the Sotheby’s staff are etched in my mind.
And NOW ... Amazon has the exclusive right to sell The Tales of Beedle the Bard to the masses. There is a limited collector’s edition that I just pre-ordered and a standard edition.
Here it is. Drool away. And if you want to order the book and follow my link below, I’ve signed up for the Amazon affiliate program and will get a percentage of the sale. That would be a nice Christmas present and could pay the hosting fees of SoMisguided or I could turn it back to you in the form of postage and mail you out any book that I’ve reviewed on my site (except for the signed copies of stuff I’m particularly fond of ...) Ya, that’s a better idea.
Who’s for that? If we make any money, I’ll post the amount and how many books and postage that equals and I’ll send you Christmas presents. We’ll figure out the details as we go. (I’m saying Christmas because Beetle isn’t published until Dec. 4—but you can pre-order.
The Tales of Beedle the Bard is Available for Pre-Order on Amazon.
The Magician is the second book in the series “The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel” and I like it a lot.
The first book The Alchemyst introduces readers to the legend of Nicholas Flamel.
Flamel was born in Paris on September 28, 1330. He is acknowledged as the greatest alchemyst of his day and it is said that he discovered the secret of eternal life.
My Harry Potter friends will know about him and the Philosopher’s Stone.
The records show that he died in 1418 but his tomb is empty.
The legend is that he lives on by making the elixir of life and that the secret of eternal life is hidden within a book that he protects called the Book of Abraham the Mage.
Michael Scott’s series is based on this part of the legend—that the book, in the wrong hands, will destroy the world.
The Magician, Dr. John Dee, plans to steal the book and bring about its prophecy. The Alchemyst, Nicholas Flamel, must protect the book and the good side of the prophecy, which is that twins—Sophie and Josh Newman (regular kids) are the only hope.
The Twins have powers that can be awakened and if they stay on the right side of the battle, they can save the world from the Dark Elders.
I know in writing it seems flaky, but it’s a great, page-turning adventure. I like these fantasy books that are based in reality but have a side of reality that we just don’t see or understand. We ignore magic because it’s just not sensible.
6 books in the series. Books 1 & 2 are in stores.
The Magician by Michael Scott is published by Delacorte Press (part of Random House)
I met several really cool people this weekend at Portus 2008 who are involved in various Harry Potter fan sites. Here’s a few you might like:
Azkatraz, Harry Potter conference next year in San Francisco. July 18-21, 2008. There will be a Wizard Rock show at Alcatraz.
Infinitus 2010 is the next Harry Potter conference AND it’s in Orlando, Florida, which will be the home of the “World of Harry Potter” theme park. I am incredibly excited about this conference.
My loot bag photo includes the links to lots of fun stuff that I discovered at Portus. Click on the photo to view it in Flickr and mouse over areas to see the info.
Posted by Monique at 09:05 PM.
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Saturday I gave my keynote at the luncheon and that evening was the masquerade ball. A little wrock (wizard rock for you muggles) and lots of costumes.
I went as a stylized version of Hedwig.
Malfoy
A Sugar Plum Fairy
Nearly Headless Nic
Hedwig & the Phoenix
Bad guys have great costumes!
Good thing my Gryffindor buddies are around.
Hep & Aziza
Snape & Dumbledore
Narcissa
Poor Winky. Fell off the butterbeer wagon.
Albus? Aberforth?
Posted by Monique at 07:26 PM.
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Lots of fans make incredible art.
My absolute favourite paintings were by Elizabeth Wu. This one in particular I really, really wanted.
I have to mention my totally cool Snapefest bag. If you’ve never heard the Snapecast podcast, have a listen to the snapey, snarkiness of Snapecast.
The People of Portus
Jim Dale, narrates on the North American audio books. Brilliant.
Henry Jenkins, smarter than Hermione, Director, Comparative Media Studies Program, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Posted by Monique at 06:44 PM.
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Yesterday was about Slytherin. Today was about Gryffindor.
Here’s the burned hand of Dumbledore.
First wizard spotting is a death eater.
First Wrock (Wizard Rock) concert I attend is The Mudbloods.
The Mudbloods on MySpace. I am LOVING “Wish You’d Be My Witch”. Please listen.
Despite the ominous overtones of these two things, the conference is very cool and awesome.
I’ll be posting photos on my Flickr stream.
Bibb Lettuce with Cucumbers and Tomatoes, Oil and Vinegar Dressing
Pecan-Crusted Chicken Breast with Roasted Corn Sauce, Garlic Mashed
Potatoes, Seasonal Fresh Vegetables
or
Vegetable Lasagna
Banana Cream Pie in Almond Crust
And then the phenomenon of podcasting in the Harry Potter community, according to Monique.
I’m going somewhere special on July 10.
Posted by Monique at 05:25 PM.
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JK Rowling’s handwritten book, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, sold at Sotheby’s for £1,950,000 ($4,062,930 CDN) to ...
AMAZON.COM
Rowling is donating the proceeds to The Children’s Voice campaign, a charity she co-founded to help improve the lives of institutionalized children across Europe.
The Tales of Beedle the Bard is extensively illustrated and handwritten—all 157 pages of it—and it looks gorgeous. It’s bound in brown leather and embellished with five hand-chased hallmarked sterling silver ornaments and mounted moonstones.
Amazon.com posted a review of the book and some incredible photos. There’s also a short video clip:
http://decenturl.com/amazon/jk-rowling-book
I’m giddy just thinking about what it would be like to hold that book. Here’s what the reviewer had to say:
So how do you review one of the most remarkable tomes you’ve ever had the pleasure of opening? You just turn each page and allow yourself to be swept away by each story. You soak up the simple tales that read like Aesop’s fables and echo the themes of the series; you follow every dip and curve of Rowling’s handwriting and revel in every detail that makes the book unique—a slight darkening of a letter here, a place where the writing nearly runs off the page there. You take all that and you try and bring it to life, knowing that you will never be able to do it justice. With that, let’s dig in and begin at the beginning, shall we?—Daphne Durham
Read the full review on Amazon.com
(Source: Tip from Siobhan)
Posted by Monique at 11:33 AM.
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JK Rowling is 41 years old and worth $1 billion.
She’s the only woman and author on Forbes ‘U.K.‘s Billionaires’ list.
This seems like an extraordinary amount of money.
On the one hand it’s fantastic that a book author has such fame. It’s sad that she’s the only woman. What’s with all the rich dudes?
On the other hand there appears to be weird human nature that takes over when someone gets that rich.
I wonder if Malcolm Gladwell has written about the tipping point for wealth and fandom support? Is there a point where fans start to negatively react to the wealth they’ve amassed for someone else? Is this what happened to Microsoft?
Posted by Monique at 11:23 AM.
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J.K. Rowling, my favourite author of Harry Potter, has released book of handwritten fairy tales. It’s up for auction at London Sotheby’s with a starting bid of $60,000. The proceeds go to the Children’s Voice Foundation, a charity that works with child victims of neglect and abuse in Eastern Europe.
Here’s a video of Jo talking about the book:
http://video.the-leaky-cauldron.org/video/889
Posted by Monique at 08:49 AM.
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SOME SPOILERS HERE.
No photos were allowed. I haven’t had a chance to proofread this, sorry, but I wanted to post before my brain flaked out—ran out of time on that ...
October 23 I was in Toronto at the Winter Garden Theatre for JK Rowling’s only Canadian stop on her Open Book Tour. The Winter Garden Theatre is a magical place worthy of a Harry Potter setting. The balcony is adorn with tree branches and little glass lanterns hang from the ceiling. The boxes are decorated like a garden trellis and there’s a golden moon hanging over the corner of the stage.
There was a single, high-backed chair in the middle of the stage where JK Rowling sat.
She read for about 20 minutes—the part where Ron returns. I loved her reading and could have happily sat there all day listening to her. Rowling has definitely become a very confident reader. Her voice sounds strong and she does slight accents for each of the characters. It was fantastic.
Neil, her husband, was in the audience.
After Rowling read, she answered 12 questions from the audience. The 12 questioners were people who had won the Raincoast contest. I don’t remember her answers word for word, but here’s what I recall.
1. How did she come up with the idea for Quidditch?
JK Rowling laughed and said that she came up with the idea after a row with an ex-boyfriend. She came up with the idea of bludgers in particular.
She later said that Quidditch was definitely invented by a woman. Women are multi-taskers and Quidditch is a multi-task game. There’s more than one ball, it’s not like male games where there’s just one ball.
Rowling told a little story about the poor guy from Warner Brothers who had to figure out how to film Quidditch. He told her it doesn’t make sense.
2. Does Albus Porter ever see the portraits of his namesakes?
JK Rowling said that yes, as soon as he was in trouble, Albus would have been in the headmaster’s office and would have an opportunity to see the portraits of both Albus and Severus.
Quite the name, Albus Severus.
3. Asked by a boy who won the contest on the first day: Which part was the most difficult to write?
Character: Dobby
Jo quipped that Graham Green said “all authors must have a chip of ice in their heart”. She’s referring to writing Dobby’s death, which was so sad.
Rowling also said that the chapter where Harry marches to what he believes is his death was the hardest to write. She cried and cried. Um, I don’t think she was the only one. That was the worst thing to read ever. I was sobbing and had to take a break because I truly believed that was the end of Harry.
4. If you could be and animagus what would you be?
Rowling said that that is the fun thing about doing all the work to be an animagus—you don’t know what you’ll end up as. James was a stag but Peter was a rat—that should have tipped off his friends, no?
She said that if she could choose it would be an otter because she loves them, and that’s what she chose for Hermione. But she suspects that she’d be a big dog.
5. A librarian asked what books would be good for boy readers
Rowling said that although the Harry Potter series inspired boys to read that wasn’t her intention specifically. She was writing what she wanted to write.
She did tell a story about Bloomsbury asking her to be JK Rowling instead of Joanne because they felt the books would appeal to boys more if her name was ambiguous. Jo said they could have asked her to take the name Snotgrass and she would have because she was just so happy to have someone wanting to publish her work. When they asked her to use her initials though there was a slight problem, she did not have a middle name. She had to choose a middle name so she decided on Kathleen, after her favourite grandparent.
6. What magical object is her favourite?
Dumbledore’s pensive, and I have to agree. I’d love to own one.
Rowlling said it’s a fantastic way to go back into the past.
7. I can’t recall this question exactly but it was something about the encyclopedia.
Rowling said, yes the encyclopedia is coming but not for a while. She wants to do another book for charity. And she’d like a little break after Harry.
She did answer that George was going to be ok after the loss of Fred and that although Ron initially goes to the aurors office, he’s likely to go to help George in the shop.
8. Any advice for a budding celebrity?
A strange question to be sure. Who knows they are going to be a celebrity, let alone a budding celebrity? Anyway, Rowling said she never dreamt of being a celebrity. She said that we shouldn’t be seduced by celebrity and fame, unless that’s exactly what you’re after, but it’s about choice. She also joked that Paris is not returning her calls. Someone in the audience shouted out that she should.
It was a strange answer to a strange question but the basic sentiment was that Rowling is quite pleased with her money and celebrity but she choses to live a rather quite life and wants to avoid the pitfalls of celebrity.
9. How do you want to be remember 100 years from now?
Rowling said she was love to think that we’ll still be reading Harry Potter 100 years from now and that it would be great if we grow up and decide to read Harry to our kids.
10. Any regrets?
Plot and character-wise no. Chamber of Secrets and Order of the Phoenix were difficult to write because she had to be diffuse, but no regrets. There are times where she overused words and that makes her mad but really no regrets.
11. Is Malfoy in debted to Harry because Harry saved him from Crabbe’s fire?
Rowling said that no, Malfoy is not magically in Harry’s debt. Harry saving Malfoy is just an embarrassing mutual connection, which we get a peak at in the epilogue. Malfoy will resent Harry forever, in the same way that Snape and James resent each other.
12. If Harry Potter didn’t take off, what would she be doing?
“Weeping softly in a dark room.”
Rowling said that if the book was never published then she’d likely be teaching and writing. If it was published but didn’t become a success she would have still been delighted.
After the questions, we were called up row by row to have our books signed.
When it was my turn I told JK Rowling “thank you for coming to Canada”. I also said she was wearing a great pair of boots. “Prada!”
She was looking mighty sexy for a kids author. Rowling was wearing a brown shirt dress with brown Prada boots. She looked lovely. She signed my book. I skipped off the stage.
It was a great event and I am thrilled to pieces that I was able to go.
Posted by Monique at 05:40 PM.
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