Origami Unicorn

Beedle the Bard for the Masses

J. K. Rowling's Tales of Beedle the Bard, which was limited the seven hand-written copies, will be produced in a special edition of a hundred thousand facsimile copies, as well as a trade edition. Given the potential demand, this is hardly a surprise. Royalties will go to the children's charity Rowling founded. The trade edition will be out December 4th, just in time for holiday shopping. Rowling says there will be "notes by Professor Albus Dumbledore, which appear by generous permission of the Hogwarts Headmasters' Archive."

Rowling added, "There was understandable disappointment among Harry Potter fans when only one copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard was offered to the public last December. I am therefore delighted to announce that, thanks to the generous support of Bloomsbury, Scholastic and Amazon (who bought the handwritten copy at auction)—and with the blessing of the wonderful people who own the other six original books—The Tales of Beedle the Bard will now be widely available to all Harry Potter fans."

Mann Booker Longlist

The Mann Booker Longlist—the thirteen books under consideration for the award—has been announced. The shortlist will be announced on September 9th, 2008. The winner will be announced on October 14th, 2008. This year's longlist is notable for a heavy concentration of first novels. The prize, substantial in itself—fifty thousand pounds—often lifts books into bestsellerdom and beyond. The prize is to the best novel of the year written by a citizen of the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland.

Galaxy Quest, the Documentary, Part Three

Galaxy Quest, the Documentary, Part Two

Galaxy Quest, the Documentary, Part One

Back when the E!, the entertainment channel, aired the first film based on Galaxy Quest, they also aired a documentary celebrating the show's twentieth anniversary. Part one of three.

L'Homme Sans Ombre

"The Man Without a Shadow' was painted on glass by Swiss animator, Georges Schwizgebel. There was a DVD of his work, but it is no longer available.

It's an adaptation of a piece by Adelbert von Chamisso, "Le'Etrange Histoire de Peter Schlemiel," which accounts, in part, for it's being not only a visual treat but possessed of a strong plot.

Comics Con 2008

For all NYC's best efforts, at the moment the big comics convention is the circus in San Diego. Following and preview night on Wednesday, the convention officially opened yesterday, promoting new releases of every kind, from the upcoming movie of Watchmen, which brought the owl ship to the floor—

to a new X-Men film, to video games, to spin-off merchandise, and of course loads of comics, new, old, reprint classic, and imported. Despite a major traffic snarl which slowed the arrival of guests to the convention, the show rolled on, and the weekend, with its huge crowds, is yet to come.

New Sony Reader Accepts More Formats

Sony has announced that its newest release will accept more formats, vastly increasing the number of books that can be read on it. It seems likely the move has two causes. One, publishers don't care to work in multiple formats, and, two, a wealth of public domain books will be uploadable. The move strengthens Sony's position against that of Amazon's Kindle. The upgrade is available on Sony's site. The Sony, already cheaper than Kindle by about fifty dollars, now becomes a more flexible tool for readers, according to the AP story.

Tor Final Freebies

Tor has been advertising its new website by giving away wallpaper and e-books. In a final flourish, all of the things offered so far, plus a few extra formats for some, are now available. A limited time offer and an opportunity to check out some authors you haven't tried before, free. After this, they're going for-profit and corporate again, although they will be developing e-books for those of their books where Tor has the contractual rights. Sample wallpaper by John Jude Palencar.

Badly Drawn Roy, Part Two

Left you hanging there. Here's Part Two.