The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a Wizarding classic, first came to Muggle readers' attention in the book known as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Now, thanks to Hermione Granger's new translation from the ancient runes, we present this stunning edition with an introduction, notes, and illustrations by J. K. Rowling, and extensive commentary by Albus Dumbledore. Never before have Muggles been privy to these richly imaginative tales: "The Wizard and the Hopping Pot," "The Fountain of Fair Fortune," "The Warlock's Hairy Heart," "Babbitty Rabbitty and Her Cackling Stump," and of course, "The Tale of the Three Brothers." But not only are they the equal of fairy tales we now know and love, reading them gives new insight into the world of Harry Potter. The stories are accompanied by delightful pen-and-ink illustrations by Ms. Rowling herself, featuring a still-life frontispiece for each one. Professor Dumbledore's commentary--apparently written some eighteen months before his death--reveals not just his vast knowledge of Wizarding lore, but also more of his personal qualities: his sense of humor, his courage, his pride in his abilities, and his hard-won wisdom. Names familiar from the Harry Potter novels sprinkle the pages, including Aberforth Dumbledore, Lucius Malfoy and his forebears, and Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington (or "Nearly Headless Nick"), as well as other professors at Hogwarts and the past owners of the Elder Wand. Dumbledore tells us of incidents unique to the Wizarding world, like hilariously troubled theatrical productions at Hogwarts or the dangers of having a "hairy heart." But he also reveals aspects of the Wizarding world that his Muggle readers might find all too familiar, like censorship, intolerance, and questions about the deepest mysteries in life. Altogether, this is an essential addition to our store of knowledge about the world and the magic that J. K. Rowling has created, and a book every true Harry Potter fan will want to have for their shelves. This purchase also represents another very important form of giving: From every sale of this book, Scholastic will give its net proceeds to the CHILDREN'S HIGH LEVEL GROUP, a charity cofounded in 2005 by J.K. Rowling and Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne, MEP. CHLG campaigns to protect and promote children's rights and make life better for vulnerable young people. www.chlg.org Published by the Children's High Level Group, in association with Arthur A. Levine Books, THE TALES OF BEEDLE THE BARD will be available December 4, 2008.

J. K. 羅琳（J. K. Rowling, 1965- ），英國女作傢，自小喜歡寫作，當過短時間的教師和秘書。二十四歲那年，她在前往倫敦的火車旅途中萌生瞭創作“哈利·波特”係列小說的念頭。七年後，《哈利·波特與魔法石》問世，之後她陸續創作瞭《哈利·波特與密室》《哈利·波特與阿茲卡班囚徒》《哈利·波特與火焰杯》《哈利-波特與鳳凰社》《哈利·波特與“混血王子”》和《哈利·波特與死亡聖器》，完成瞭該係列的創作，在全球颳起一股股“哈利·波特”颶風，在世界範圍內掀起規模宏大的“哈利·波特”閱讀狂潮。另外，在此期間，她還因為慈善事業而先後完成瞭《神奇動物在哪裏》和《神奇的魁地奇球》這兩部與“哈利·波特”係列相關的圖書，最新完成的作品是《詩翁彼豆故事集》。

J.K.羅琳與她的丈夫及三個孩子生活在愛丁堡，一邊盡享傢庭生活的幸福，一邊文學創作。