One-of-a-Kind Copy of “Beedle the Bard” to Go on Display

Barry Cunningham, the publisher who signed Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone to Bloomsbury, announced at the Cheltenham Literature Festival that the custom-made copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard gifted to him by J.K. Rowling will go on display this October at the British Library’s Harry Potter: A History of Magic exhibition.

This special handwritten copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, designed by Rowling herself, is bound in leather and set with semi-precious jewels and is one of only seven of its kind. It was auctioned in December of 2016 at Sotheby’s, where Cunningham says it was sold to an American buyer, who will loan it to the British Library for its exhibition. Exhibition curator Julian Harrison said that seeing Rowling’s handwritten notes was “an inspirational experience.”

We’d love to see this gorgeous book in person! How about you? Will you be visiting the British Library to see Harry Potter: A History of Magic?