Japanese Harry Potter fans get peek at Rowling's rare book
Last Updated: Friday, July 4, 2008 | 4:02 PM ET
CBC News
Twenty lucky Harry Potter fans in Japan have won the privilege of looking inside a rare handmade book by author J.K. Rowling, an offshoot of the bestselling series.
Online bookseller Amazon unveiled the silver-studded, leather-bound book of five tales of wizardry at a news conference in Tokyo on Friday.
A Sotheby's staff member displays the manuscript The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling, sold to Amazon for $4 million US. Sang Tan/Associated Press)
There are only seven copies of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, which Rowling wrote and illustrated by hand — in essence, the first book she's written since the Potter series.
The 42-year-old writer said she would only ever sell one copy with the others given to people closely connected to the Harry Potter novels, which have sold 400 million copies worldwide.
Amazon bought that one copy for $4 million US at an auction in December, with all of the proceeds channelled to one of Rowling's favourite charities, The Children's Voice, which helps children in care in Eastern Europe.
For Potter fans in the know, The Tales of Beedle the Bard was left to Hermione Granger by Hogwarts head teacher Albus Dumbledore. It contains clues to help Harry and his friends defeat his nemesis Lord Voldemort.
The stunt in Tokyo was part of Amazon's promotion of the release of the Japanese version of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the final instalment of the series.
The book goes on sale in Japan at the end of July.
Share Tools
FILM REVIEW: Men in Black 3 by Eli Glasner May. 25, 2012 9:46 AM Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are back in the action sequel Men in Black 3, a third instalment of a series now 15 years old. Though new addition Josh Brolin manages some amazing mimicry as a younger version of Jones, the story doesn't measure up to the weird and wonderful charms of the original, says film reviewer Eli Glasner.
Top News Headlines
- Teens share bullying tales in confession booth
- Raw stories about bullying emerged when a video booth was set up inside a Quebec high school. more »
- Reclaiming the dead on Mt. Everest
- The difficulty, danger and expense of removing the bodies of climbers who died in Mount Everest's "death zone" mean most of the dead remain on the mountain as a stark reminder to other climbers of the risks. more »
- Canada closing consulate in Buffalo, N.Y.
- The federal government is shutting down the Canadian consulate in Buffalo and dropping a requirement for foreign workers and students to renew their visas outside the country, CBC News has learned. more »
- G20 police illegally arrested journalists, used gay slur
- Two Toronto police sergeants face disciplinary hearings after a watchdog agency found they illegally arrested two journalists during the G20 summit and that one officer hurled homophobic slurs. more »
Latest Arts & Entertainment News Headlines
- Shakespeare's Winter's Tale gets African reboot
- A Nigerian theatre company is performing an African reboot of The Winter's Tale, one of the lesser known tragicomedies written by the Bard, in London as part of the London Cultural Olympiad. more »
- Elton John cancels Las Vegas concerts over illness
- Elton John is suffering from a serious respiratory infection and has cancelled three Las Vegas performances on doctors' orders. more »
- Double-lung recipient dances on Ellen show
- Organ donation advocate Hèlène Campbell of Ottawa made her second appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show, but her first since undergoing a double-lung transplant. more »
- Vancouver Bieber fans in disbelief over tour snub
- Justin Bieber announced yesterday morning the dates of his world tour in support his latest album Believe, but fans in Vancouver were disappointed to see that their city didn't make the list. more »
Q Blog
Toni Morrison on her two selves May. 25, 2012 9:58 AM Jian speaks with the celebrated African American author and academic about her two conflicting selves, and her new novel, Home.
CBC Books
Talking about war May. 25, 2012 11:11 AM The public conversation around war has always been complex and thorny. How does Canada's military approach differ from that of other countries? Are we a society of peacekeepers or warriors? These are some of the questions that Noah Richler explores in his new book What We Talk About When We Talk About War.
- Reclaiming the dead on Mt. Everest
- New mom among dead in Aylmer triple stabbing
- Workers' EI history to affect claim under new rules
- Employment Insurance review boards to be scrapped
- Conservatives move again to have robocalls suits tossed
- Teens share bullying tales in confession booth
- Gatineau police to question man in multiple homicides
- Quebec faces mounting pressure amid student crisis
- SpaceX capsule captured by Canadarm2
