Potter’s Block

The book saw its worldwide release on Thursday, but Delhi has not seen major evidence of Pottermania this year. At popular bookstores across the NCR, pre-bookings for The Tales of Beedle the Bard (Penguin, Rs 599) have not been a patch on last year’s madness for The Deathly Hallows.

“There has hardly been any publicity for the book, possibly because it is not exactly a Potter book. There have been some enquiries and 20 pre-bookings, but not many people seem informed about the release of the book,” says Vijay Singh of the Oxford Bookstore. The price is another issue, says Priyanka Malhotra of Full Circle Bookstore. “We’ve been spoilt on huge Potter tomes. People were excited in the beginning about Beedle the Bard, but since the release, buyers have been having second thoughts about paying so much for a slim book of 100-odd pages,” says Malhotra.

Shortly after Book Seven, Rowling had announced that she would write The Tales of Beedle the Bard for charity and produced a limited edition of seven handmade copies, handwritten and illustrated by Rowling herself. In July this year, after Potter fans protested against the decision not to release the book publicly, it was announced that Beedle the Bard would be published in standard editions. The book, “translated from the ancient Runes by Granger”, contains five fairy stories for wizarding children as well as Muggles. Unlike the handmade edition, the publishers have been frugal with illustrations in the hardback.

The only major pre-bookings have been at the Landmark store in Gurgaon, with the number touching 500. Landmark is offering a discounted price of Rs 499, and the store hopes to see at least 50,000 walk-ins by the end of the month, especifically for the book. A little discount might just prove magical.