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JK Rowling Book Sells for $4M

Only 7 copies of the Tales of Beedle the Bard exist

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted Dec 13, 2007 12:15 PM CST

(Newser) – Sotheby’s figured The Tales of Beedle the Bard would fetch about $100,000 at auction—in retrospect, about 40 times too low. The book, a one-of-a-kind piece of the Harry Potter canon hand-written and illustrated by JK Rowling herself, fetched $3.98 million for charity today, Reuters reports. “Christmas has come early for me,” said an ecstatic Rowling.

The tome, a collection of wizard fairy tales, is referenced in the last Potter book, but only one of its five stories is told within the series. Rowling produced just 7 copies of the full volume, each decorated with silver and semi-precious stones. Only one was sold, the rest went to personal friends. Rowling calls the book her “goodbye to the world I loved.”

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Auctioneer Peter Selley, centre, auctions the manuscript 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard' by J.K. Rowling, displayed on the right by a member of staff during an auction at Sotheby's auction house in London,... (Associated Press)

A member of staff displays the manuscript 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard' by J.K. Rowling, at the end of an auction at Sotheby's auction house in London, Thursday, Dec. 13, 2007. The manuscript, a collection... (Associated Press)

Auctioneer Peter Selley, centre, auctions the manuscript 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard' by J.K. Rowling, displayed on the right by a member of staff, during an auction at Sotheby's auction house in London,... (Associated Press)

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J.K. Rowling creates the handwritten "Beetle the Bard." (hedwig794 (YouTube))

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JK Rowling Book Sells for $4M