All right, less exciting than the title implies, but J.K. Rowling is set to publish  The Tales of Beedle the Bard. The fictitious -until now- book was part of a central theme in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, telling the story of the Dealthy Hallows, items that gave the mastery of Death to their owner. "'The Tales of Beedle the Bard' is really a distillation of the themes found in the Harry Potter books, and writing it has been the most wonderful way to say goodbye to a world I have loved and lived in for 17 years," Rowling said in a statement.

The Associate Press wire provided by Salon says that only seven copies will be printed. Six will be given to friends of the author, the seventh will be auctioned off, the proceeds to benefit a children's charity. The starting price for the book, which is leather bound and mounted with silver and semiprecious stones is $62000. I have started saving my pennies.
Rowling said that the book, part of Harry's world, but not about Harry, was in part a way to say goodbye to that world.

In other news this week, Rowling and the makers of the Harry Potter movies filed a lawsuit to prevent the publication of a book based on the Harry Potter Lexicon. The AP reports that Rowling has said that a print version of the material would interfere with the encyclopedia she is planning on writing.

Steve Vander Ark, who started the Lexicon, had been awarded a Fan Site Award in 2004.