“The Tales of Beedle the Bard” Is Among the World’s Most Expensive Books

Though book lovers know that the real value of a good story lies in what it has to say, there are some books that have earned much higher prices than others. Old, rare, and unique books frequently go to auction, selling for millions of dollars. Now, J.K.Rowling’s fictional spin-off, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, has achieved a place among the literary riches on CEOWORLD‘s list of the world’s most expensive books.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard is a real-life realization of the magical children’s storybook bequeathed by Dumbledore to Hermione in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. A collection of wizarding fairytales that at times are reminiscent of our Muggle-world stories, The Tales of Beedle the Bard was originally written as a charity project. Released to the public in 2008, proceeds from the book’s sales went to author J.K.Rowling’s children’s charity, Children’s High Level Group, which has since been renamed Lumos.

When Rowling sat down to write “The Wizard and the Hopping Pot,” “The Fountain of Fair Fortune,” “Babbity Rabbity and Her Cackling Stump,” and the other stories included in the compilation, she created just seven handwritten and personally illustrated copies.

Six of Rowling’s limited-edition works were gifted to friends and editors, but the seventh was placed for auction in 2007. Amazon.com purchased the book for a whopping $3.98 million.

The hefty price tag earned, for a good cause, by this unique copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard has made the book one of the most expensive books ever sold, and it is in prestigious company. Other titles on the list include William Shakespeare’s First Folio, The St. Cuthbert Gospel, and Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex Leicester, which sold to Bill Gates for an incredible $30.8 million.

Harry Potter fans have never doubted the true worth of Rowling’s works, and it seems that global purse strings have a similar understanding.