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.

Als großer Harry-Potter-Fan durfte dieses Buch in meiner Sammlung natürlich nicht fehlen. „The Tales of Beedle the Bard“ ergänzt das Potter-Universum wunderbar und bietet kleine Märchen, die man schon aus den Büchern kennt. Die Geschichten sind liebevoll geschrieben, gut verständlich und machen auch in der englischen Ausgabe richtig Spaß zu lesen. Besonders schön finde ich die Gestaltung des Covers und die hochwertigen Illustrationen im Inneren. Für Sammler, Fans und alle, die das Potter-Universum noch ein Stück erweitern möchten, eine klare Empfehlung!

Not the best quality but it look fine.

You have to read this book to truly be understanding of happiness because it’s so much better than what you have been doing for the last million years

My niece loves Harry Potter series of books which is why this was a definite add on to her collection.

“No man or woman alive, magical or not, has ever escaped some form of injury, whether physical, mental or emotional. To hurt is as human as to breathe.” The first time I heard of The Tales of Beedle the Bard was - of course - in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. And I laughed out loud, crying and giggling for minutes when I first heard of Babbity Rabbity and Her Cackling Stump. My favourite tale is The Fountain of Fair Fortune. It just warms my heart every single time I read it. It's quite the opposite of The Warlock's Hairy Heart, but in a way, I still love the utter disgust and shock it produces. Dumbledore's notes are pretty spectacular as well. I love how he shamelessly tells Lucius Malfoy off in his letter about banning a tale from the Hogwarts Library. And by Merlin's Beard is Aberforth so fascinated by goats? It's always going to remain a mystery to me. This is an amazing, original collection of wondrous and beautiful, cruel and magical tales. If someone can create fairytales that feel like they could be in Grimm's collection, then it's definitely J. K. Rowling. I never thought it possible that someone could write a fairytale, that feels as old and as magical as the ones I grew up with. But I also never thought that a writer could have such an impact on my life.