To celebrate the release of
The Tales of Beedle the Bard tomorrow,
Scholastic is donating three copies of the book to each of The New York Public Library’s 87 branches, which are located throughout the Bronx, Manhattan and Staten Island.
Additionally, as
we reported last month, an original
Beedle the Bard book will be on display for a month, starting tomorrow through to Jan. 4, at the
New York Public Library’s Humanities and Social Sciences Library at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street. The book belongs to Scholastic's Arthur Levine, co-editor of the Harry Potter series.
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My feelings about Beedle are very personal. I remember the moment I opened the package and saw this beautiful object that Jo had sent. Something she'd made with her own hands and her own unique imagination. What could an editor treasure more from his author? Only the friendship the gift represents.
Levine received one of the seven original copies of the book, each copy bearing unique gemstones on the cover. Our news mod
Red interviewed Levine this morning and asked if there was any significance to the gemstone on his copy. He told her that his book has tourmaline stones on it, which is his son's birthstone, and remarked on J.K. Rowling's incredible memory. "It's Jo, she'd remember anything!" Then he gave an anecdote about how if you once mentioned that you liked a hot dog with relish 17 years ago she could turn around today and, when she gets you a hot dog, she'd say, "He wants relish on that."
He also said that his favorite tale from the book is
The Fountain of Fair Fortune, about three witches who must work together to overcome challenges.
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"It has that quality of being - feeling like it's existed forever" and has "strong, interesting female characters" and that it "still feels original and surprising; it's hard to be a folktale and be original."
Levine also noted that Jo gave him a heads up that he'd be receiving the book, which is marked 5/7.
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She called to tell me that I should be on the lookout for this. It was a little bit of a surprise how it came; but she warned me in advance ... so that it wouldn't be someone else's surprise.
Levine also stated that after the New York library display ends next month, he plans to donate the book to his alma mater,
Brown University, due to his deep connection there. Levine revealed that Barry Cunningham, also of Scholastic, received an original copy of the book from Jo as well, which the latter has
lent to the
National Library of Scotland.
If you haven't yet ordered your copy of the book, you can use the following links:
Amazon:
Collector's Edition &
Standard Edition.
Amazon.co.uk:
Collector's Edition &
Standard Edition
All proceeds from the sale of the book will support
The Children's High Level Group, a charity that protects and promotes children’s rights and makes life better for vulnerable young people.
UPDATE: Photos from the event are now up, including close-ups of Levine's copy of the book, which can be seen in high-resolution
here:
Exclusive: SnitchSeeker interviews Scholastic publisher Arthur Levine (UPDATED) 
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