Rowling, J.K.

ONE OF SEVEN MANUSCRIPT COPIES BY THE AUTHOR OF WHICH THIS IS ONE OF SIX COPIES PRESENTED TO A PERSON 'MOST CLOSELY CONNECTED TO THE HARRY POTTER BOOKS', individually handwritten and illustrated by the author, 155 pages containing c. 6000 words and 17 vignette illustrations, small 8vo (175 by 120mm), within an Italian handmade notebook with deckle-edged cream-coloured leaves, brown morocco, embellished by the Edinburgh silversmiths Hamilton and Inches with five individual hand-chased hallmarked sterling silver ornaments and mounted rhodochrosite stones, spine in compartments with raised bands, detachable clasp in hallmarked sterling silver with mounted rhodochrosite stone, green endpapers, green head and foot bands together with green marker ribbon, presentation cloth bag from Hamilton and Inches together with jewellers’ box, some small marks to lower cover

Barry Cunningham, O.B.E.

cf Errington, Rowling D5

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

THE FIRST PRESENTATION COPY OF THIS FAMOUS MANUSCRIPT TO APPEAR AT AUCTION AND A MAJOR PIECE OF HARRY POTTER HISTORY. THERE ARE MINOR TEXTUAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THIS MANUSCRIPT AND THE PUBLISHED VERSION.

Within the final Harry Potter novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, we learn of the collection of wizarding fairy-tales by Beedle the Bard. In chapter seven Albus Dumbledore bequeaths his copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard to Hermione ('in the hope that she will find it entertaining and instructive') and in chapter twenty-one Hermione reads aloud 'The Tale of the Three Brothers' from the collection. Apparently, the tales 'have been popular bedtime reading for centuries' and, as a result, 'the Hopping Pot and the Fountain of Fair Fortune are as familiar to many of the students at Hogwarts as Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty are to Muggle (non-magical) children.'

After writing the final novel in the series, J.K. Rowling decided to create The Tales of Beedle the Bard and give a manuscript copy in her hand to 'those most closely connected to the Harry Potter books during the past 17 years'. A seventh copy was also written for sale at auction and that book was sold at Sotheby's on 13 December 2007 to benefit the charity now known as Lumos. The sale price of £1.95 million is still a world record for a modern literary manuscript and a world record for a children's book. The successful buyer was amazon and the book, in an enlarged form (with additional 'commentary'), was published in 2008.

The present copy is the first of the original manuscript presentation copies ever to be offered for sale at auction. It was presented to Barry Cunningham, who accepted the first Harry Potter book for publication. It is copy number three and includes the inscription 'To Barry, | the man who thought | an overlong novel | about a boy wizard | in glasses might | just sell… | THANK YOU'. This is therefore A SIGNIFICANT ASSOCIATION COPY AND A MAJOR PIECE OF HARRY POTTER HISTORY. The book was sent by courier to Barry Cunningham on 12 December 2007 (the day before the charity auction at Sotheby's) and the original envelope is included in the lot. The other recipients have never been named although Rowling's American publisher, Arthur A. Levine, exhibited his copy (number 5) at New York Public Library in December 2008. The present copy was also exhibited at the same time but at the National Library of Scotland.

The individual tales within the manuscript comprise: 'The Wizard and the Hopping Pot' (24 pages and c. 1010 words), 'The Fountain of Fair Fortune' (35 pages and c. 1465 words), 'The Warlock's Hairy Heart' (29 pages and c. 1100 words), 'Babbity Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump' (43 pages and c. 1670 words) and, finally, 'The Tale of the Three Brothers' (17 pages and c. 670 words).

Each of the seven copies was uniquely embellished by Hamilton and Inches, inspired by an ancient Italian prayer book, and set with different kinds of gemstones. This copy carries seven mounted rhodochrosite stones. At the end of the volume, the author has noted that these stones are 'traditionally associated with love, balance and joy in daily life'.