The Tales of Beedle the Bard Collector's Edition Book Review

The book The Tales of Beedle the Bard is a spin off from J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter world. Using words translated by Hermione Granger, a thin volume was created. It includes text and pictures from J.K. Rowling and commentary from Professor Albus Dumbledore. Packed between the covers are five stories, fairy tales called The Wizard and the Hopping Pot, The Fountain of Fair Fortune, The Warlock's Hairy Heart, Babbitty Rabbitty and Her Cackling Stump, and The Tale of the Three Brothers. These stories share glimpses into the wizards of Harry Potter’s world.

J.K. Rowling created an affordable ‘ordinary’ copy of the book that mere mortals like you and I could afford. You can read my review of that book here. Interestingly, it was created with a wide variety of covers and even re-released in 2017 with a new U.S. cover.

Rowling also created seven magnificent copies of this story by hand. Those amazing books were given to people closely related to the series and one of them was auctioned for charity. Take a look at those amazing books here in this Youtube video and see what those that have been sold fetched at auction.

I do wonder what one of those original handcrafted books would sell for now. Anyway, Rowling also released a collector’s edition of the book as shown in the pictures on this page. This version was more readily available though still much more expensive than the 'ordinary' hardcover book.

This limited printing collector's edition of The Tales of Beedle the Bard is a beautiful set that was produced exclusively for sale on Amazon and released on December 4, 2008. I do not know what it originally sold for but as I write this page today in the spring of 2018, I see that it is available on Amazon at prices over $200 and on eBay where it appears to be more affordable, selling at prices starting around $100 and ending at about $230.

Included in the collector's edition are the five fairy tales that you find in all of the versions of this book. However, they are packaged in a handsome case that looks like a wizarding textbook straight from the library at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry making it a wonderful addition to a Harry Potter fan's collection.

Inside the case you will find ten prints that can be framed, a reproduction of J.K. Rowling's introduction, ten pictures that are not found in the standard version of the book and, packed inside a velvet bag, the copy of the book itself, which is embellished with a metal skull, corners and clasp as well as replica gemstones and a green ribbon.

All profits from the original sale of the book in 2008 originally went to the Children's High Level Group. Of course, that is not likely the case today. Click here to read more about the Collector's Edition of the Tales of Beedle the Bard on Amazon.

See you
at the bookstore!
Brenda

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Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning Book Review

In the book Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning, the war in Europe is winding down and Anne Shirley is a middle-aged writer returning to the island for a visit. Without thinking about it, she agrees to create a play to be performed during the White Sand Hotel's summer season. However, she admits that the play is just one way to try NOT to think about the recent issues - like her missing son - in her life. She discovers a secret at Green Gables which proves to be a distraction of another sort and she must look at suppressed memories and troubled years at the same time as she tries to write the play. She learns about her parents, her quest for kindred spirits and about her imagination.

Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning is the unauthorized prequel to the book and movie, Anne of Green Gables. The book was adapted from Kevin Sullivan's televised screenplay which aired in October, 2008. Only recently did I discover that this book was available. I had heard and seen the television movie. The book seems to have been rather low-key and I am guessing you may have missed it, like I did.

Click here to order your copy of Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning from Amazon.

Why Should You Read This Book?

Kevin Sullivan takes us where L.M. Montgomery did not...to the time in Anne Shirley's life before she was sent to Prince Edward Island. If you are a fan of this famous fictional character, you must be curious about Anne's life before she arrived on the Island.  You will also want to check out the authorized prequel, Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson.

Hannah Endicott-Douglas as Anne Shirley in A New Beginning.

Who Is Kevin Sullivan?

Kevin Sullivan is the writer, director and film producer of this story, Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning. He is, however, very well known for his very popular, family-friendly period movies and televison shows, like the original Anne of Green Gables movie series, The Piano Man's Daughter, Road To Avonlea and Wind At My Back. He has won hundreds of awards, which include three Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, a Prix Jeunesse and four Cable Ace Awards. He is also an author and his writings include Beyond Green Gables and Anne of Green Gables: The Official Movie Adaptation.

If you are interested in reading Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning you can find it on Amazon here. When you've finished reading the book, you might want to watch the movie, which was originally broadcast in Canada in October, 2008. You can find it on DVD right here. They're nicely priced now so gifting them would make a lovely and affordable gift idea.

Happy Reading!
Brenda

More Anne Reading:

Discover the Anne of Green Gables items in my eBay store.

Before Green Gables Book Review Discover author Budge Wilson's version of what Anne Shirley's life might have been like before she arrived at Green Gables in Prince Edward Island.

Controversial Anne of Green Gables Book Cover What do you think of this Anne of Green Gables cover? Not quite how you pictured the red haired, freckle faced child? Learn more about the controversial cover.

Author's Note: This page originally published elsewhere in 2009.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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A Treasury of the World's Greatest Fairy Tales Vintage Book Review

Adapted by Helen Hyman, A Treasury of the World's Greatest Fairy Tales and A Second Treasury of the World's Greatest Fairy Tales are both beautiful hardcover books filled with some of the best fairy tales. Both the text and the pictures were created by three brothers and their publishing company in Italy under the name of Fratelli Fabbri Editori.

The stories are closer to the original story lines than they are the Disney versions. If you want to expose your children to fairy tales that are not defined by Disney, these books are worth considering.

Possibly more important to some individuals than the actual stories in this case are the detailed pictures. The images were so important to people who grew up with them that these books defined the way those fairy tales look in their minds. One reviewer says that for her they defined exactly what fairy tale princes, princesses, dwarves, ogres, and even some animals looked like.  Another says that the pictures in the book are more like paintings than they are pen-and-ink cartoons. 

Both of these treasuries are suitable for both girls and boys. They are not just princess stories but also include stories where the young male character is the hero.

Published in the 1970s and held dear by many adults who owned them when they were young, these treasuries are now out of print and in demand as people search for copies to share with their own families and with which to replace worn out volumes that they own. Unfortunately, the fact that they are vintage and out-of-print makes them slightly more expensive than the average new, modern fairy tale book.

The following fairy tales are included in the first volume of the World's Greatest Fairy Tales treasury:

• The Ugly Duckling
• Puss-in-Boots
• Hansel and Gretel
• The Wild Swans
• Seven in One Blow
• Snow White and Rose Red
• The Frog Prince
• The Three Little Pigs
• Rapunzel
• Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
• The Three Dwarfs in the Wood
• Prince Kamar and Princess Budur
• Hans in Luck
• The Three Musicians

The stories included in the second book, A Second Treasury of the World's Greatest Fairy Tales, are:

• Cinderella
• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
• Aladdin and the Magic Lamp
• Sleeping Beauty
• Little Red Riding hood
• The Lion and the Carpenter
• Beauty and the Beast
• The Seven Ravens
• The Little Goldfish
• The Little Tin Soldier
• The Emperor's Nightingale
• Thumbelina
• The Three Hairs of the Ogre
• The Pied Piper

A Few Closing Thoughts from Readers

One fond reader says that the stories in these books are full of food for you and your child's imagination and that the words will stretch it farther. Another reader says that this was one of two things that he really loved when he was growing up. 

The Poisoned Martini says these books "have got to be the best illustrated collection of fairy tales." 

If you are searching for a copy of one or both of these books, you will find both of them on eBay by clicking right here.

Do you have a children's book that you remember fondly? Perhaps one that defined forever how a character looks in your mind?

Happy Reading!
Brenda


Quick Links:

New, used and vintage children's books in my eBay store.
The Pink Dress by Anne Alexander.
Controversial Anne of Green Gables book cover.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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