The Tales of Beedle the Bard: J.K. Rowling

I pre-ordered this on 2nd August, and the last two weeks have been the longest wait of my life in terms of books. When i got it, my breath was taken away with how beautiful it was. I won't bore you with details of how it looks as so many others have done this, so i'll concentrate on what is in the book. Firstly, i loved the tales and i will be reading it again, although i will use my standard edition. The characters are all different and seem very real. Although connected with magic and has Dumbledore's thoughts included, it shows she can write other believable characters without mentioning Harry, Ron or Hermoine etc. I found Dumbledore's thoughts to be well written and easily imagined him thinking and saying these things. The footnotes were very informative as well. The clear divide between muggle and wizarding fairytales is not always clear- the only thing seperating them is that the people in the stories have magic and that the females are a lot stronger and grab your attention more. There is one let down i feel. The last tale "the three brothers" i felt was too short. I have read the last book and have read the tale, but thought that it had been a quick version of it. Then again, if it had been longer, it may have spoilt it. Also, the thoughts at the end of the story i felt ended suddenly. I was expecting to turn the page and see more thoughts, but came to a personal message from baroness nicholson of winterbourne MEP 107 (don't want people to tell me off for using a shortened version of her name!). Although this was good to read, i only wish there had been a conclusion of his thoughts like the other stories. Then again, it makes the reader wonder if he intended to go back to those notes and finish them off- sadly, we'll never know. However, these are two minor complaints and do not affect the enjoyment of the book overall. JK Rowling still has the power to make people feel hungry for more, and i have once again been caught under her spell. The illustrations in the CE are amazing and shows that she is more than just a writer. Please consider buying this book- if you just want it for the stories, get the standard edition. However, if you want more than the stories and experience the full magic of this book, buy the Collector's edition. I promise that you will not be disappointed. Get it soon because once it's gone, it's gone.

Excellent I felt very warm and fuzzy reading new JKR. How can I not love an alleged children's writer who mentions murder, mutilation, cannibalism, adultery, and bestiality all within the span of 110 (ultra-short) pages? The stories are on the meh side, but Dumbledore's commentaries showed a smart, literary eye that reminded me briefly of Pale Fire. I'm all, "Hey, JK, you did your thang." Be that as it may, I'm a bit offended by the Dumbledore's anti-anti-Muggle bias. I see nothing wrong with witches and wizards not wanting to associate with Muggles. I hate Muggles, they are the worst! And I have Muggle heritage myself (but don't tell anyone I said that, EEW EEW EEW!) so you know I can't be magicist. Sometimes I look in the mirror and I think, "Go back to where you came from, Mudblood!" So I did -- but the staff at New York Presbyterian wouldn't take me back. (less)

This book is yet another testament to J. K. Rowling's astounding imagination. There are five tales altogether and after each one, Dumbledore writes his own analysis of the tale, and his personal experience of it ('The Fountain of Fair Fortune' has the funniest commentary). An introduction is penned by Rowling, and the original story is translated by Hermione Granger from the ancient runes they were originally written in (she is given credit, but she does not appear anywhere in the book writing as herself). At the end of the book are a few pages from the charity representative, explaining what the charity does. The tales themselves are beautifully imaginative and the style is that of simple fairytales you would find in real folklore but subtlety eludes Rowling. The stories are obviously teaching the reader a lesson and there is no escaping Rowling's highly hammered in morals. If you did not catch it the first time in the story (which I think may be impossible), Dumbledore is there afterwards to make sure you do, very much like he did in the original series. Having said that, the tales are really enjoyable, and Rowling's wit serves her yet again. Unfortunately Rowling is no more subtle in her introduction. She writes that these fairy tales have strong and active females rather 'than taking a prolonged nap or waiting for someone to return a lost shoe'. There is one exception who acts like a normal fairytale princess 'but there is no "happily ever after" at the end of her tale'. I am not sure why Rowling feels the need to insult the intelligence of her readers in this way. The activism of the females would have resonated a lot more powerfully if she just let the stories speak for themselves. She continues on about kindness, tolerance and intelligence as the most desired characteristics and it is characters with these that obtain their happy ending. To be perfectly honest, this book could have done without Rowling's introduction. Dumbledore's analysis of each tale is sometimes a bit lacking. When he is actually analysing the story he does nothing but repeat the obvious moral that springs out of the tale. It is far better when he proceeds into one of his anecdotes or describing society's reaction to the tale. We are even introduced to one Brutus Malfoy, as far back as 1675 writing for an anti-muggle periodical. It is little touches such as that that makes Dumbledore's contributions a real treat. I would have expected more illustrations from a fairytale book, but they are quite sparse. They are simple penciled drawings with no colour but do have some detail. Her last sketch in 'The Warlock's Hairy Heart' is particularly impressive, as is her depiction of the three brothers meeting death upon the bridge. Overall, it is a lovely edition to any collection; it is cheap and it is for charity, and they are actually really lovely stories to read to children! I am not sure whether these tales could ever stand the testament of time due to the imperative tone, but they are here now, and I would recommend them.

OMG! THE TALES OF BEEDLE THE BARD is by far the best looking book ever! encased in white card, there is a large, leather book entitled 'the tales of beedle the bard' in fancy letters with ornate drawing around it. But the fun really begins when you actually open the book. Inside there is a smaller book wrapped in a beautiful, red bag. It fits quite snugly in a soft space made just for it! there is also a folder with illustrations by JK ROWLING, the mistress of storytelling. The drawings are so brilliant that JK ROWLING should consider becoming a part-time illustrator! if you pull the book from out of its pretty bag it is SO GORGEOUS! i nearly fainted when i opened it last Christmas! There is a metal skull on the book which is also made of fine material. Other drawing around the skull too! there is an emerald strip of silk in there so you can mark your place without having to fold the corner and ruin the enchanting pages. JK ROWLING has also handwritten (i know!) an introduction at the start which is so absorbing! then there are the stories themselves! so brilliantly written! after the breathtaking HARRY POTTER series, this is a beautiful book that tells you what Hermione read in her freetime! this is so worth the money, 1 review isn't enough! get it! you will cry with joy! THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS GIFT!

Wow, what an amazing item. I receaved this fantastic addition to my JK Rowling collection and all I could do was to stare at it. What can I say apart from if you do treat yourself to anything this christmas then I promiss you, you will not be disapointed. The prints that come with this amazing book are an investment in its self, but the book is somthing that you can always be proud of. The only advise I would give you is to also buy the normal print of this book. At the moment it is half price with Amazon. As a serius collector I would advise you not open the little copy of the collectors addition and read it because the book is to nice to not treat with respect. My husband has told me I am not aloud to have it till christmas, gutted. I have opened it but have had to put it back in the box. Remember that £20 from each sale of the collectors addition goes to the Childrens High Level Group charety and all the proceades of the sale of the normal print book also goes to this charety. So far they have raised over £4m....

We've purchased all the other Harry Potter 'Collector Edition' books previously so felt we couldn't miss out on this very special edition and although there will be 100,000 of these made so not exactly limited, I think when compared to the millions upon millions of the other Harry Potter books sold, this is quite a small edition. That's assuming it isn't reprinted at a later date..... We ordered it yesterday first class and it arrived today via Citylink! we didn't expect it that soon! The outer 'book' case is huge, the actual book is small and very well made, it really is a lovely set and an absolute must for the Harry Potter fans. Like all our other 'Collector Editions' this will be for display and not for reading, we've got the normal edition to read. I don't know if any of the Collector's editions will ever appreciate in value, I expect it's only the original first editions and signed editions that can be seen as an investment for the future. Still, the special editions are nice to look at, they're reasonably priced and well made and that's all that matters really.

An interesting read, this book provides insight into some of the stories as well as concepts within the Harry Potter world. Worth reading if you have an interest in this area.

An absolute work of art. I feel honoured that I was one of the lucky ones to recieve one. There has been so much effort put into the book. The outer book is very secure and beautifully made. It actually looks like a book its self but its cradling the smaller book which is inside a lovely little back with jk rowlings signature stitched into it. The smaller book is decorated as you can see in the pics and its done in a way that makes you think it could actually be THE orginal! The print inside the book is very nice and theres a foreword written by jk rowling which is lovely and in her own writing. all in all a fantastic buy. If more become available i would highly recommend them to all big harry potter fans. a great book collectable and also the tales themselves are brill. I will be telling them to my children one day =)