Amazon Buys Rowling's Beedle

Amazon supremo Jeff Bezos has announced that his online book retailing company has won the auction for J.K. Rowling's ultra-limited edition The Tales of Beedle the Bard, paying an unbelievable £1,950,000 (for 1 - yes 'one' - book...give me the standard Amazon commission on that one). They have kindly displayed some images from the book, for those interested - and it looks gorgeous:

The Tales of Beedle the Bard is extensively illustrated and handwritten by the bard herself - all 157 pages of it. It's bound in brown Moroccan leather and embellished with five hand-chased hallmarked sterling silver ornaments and mounted moonstones.

Enjoy these first images of the book. We'll be adding reviews of each of the fairytales and more photos of this beautiful object as we can get them up in the coming hours.

Rowling has donated the proceeds of the sale to The Children's Voice campaign, a charity she co-founded to help improve the lives of institutionalized children across Europe. Speaking after the sale, the bestselling author said "I am stunned and ecstatic. This will mean so much to children in desperate need of help. Christmas has come early for me."

Auction house Sotheby's had originally predicted the book to sell for around £50,000. It is one of only seven handmade copies, with the other six being given to Rowling's closest friends. It's worth noting that the sale does not give Amazon the right to publish the book, as Rowling retains the copyright.