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."