We have come to expect that some books will sell at auction for well beyond their estimates. Sometimes an auction house may not appreciate the book's importance, at other times bidders can simply get caught up in the excitement of the moment. However, what occurred at Sotheby's December 13 was truly astounding. A book, rare (by design), though certainly not antiquarian, sold for forty times the high estimate. That high estimate was no bargain basement price either. Estimated to sell for $60,000-$100,000, a handwritten work by billionaire author J.K. Rowling, of Harry Potter fame, sold for an astonishing £1,950,000, or approximately $4 million. If I were her, I'd have my pen in hand right now, writing another, but when you are already a billionaire, who needs another $4 million?
The book's title is Tales of Beedle the Bard. It is not a Harry Potter book, but fits the same mystical, magical genre. Rowling handwrote seven copies of this book, but only one was placed up for sale. The other six are going to unnamed persons associated with the Potter saga. One can only expect that in time, and depending upon the financial needs of the six lucky recipients (who must be overjoyed by the results of this auction), these other six copies will make it to the market. Perhaps some will be offered in the relatively near future, others maybe not until the owners die and ownership falls to their estates. Eventually, the heirs are more likely to want millions in cash than a book to share amongst them.
The winning bidder was also a surprise. It was not a traditional collector or rare book library of some prestigious institution. The winner was bookselling giant Amazon.com. Amazon has undoubtedly made a great deal of money off Ms. Rowling's books, having sold many millions of them. They could afford it. Still, it is not exactly clear why they would spend so much for this book. They are already providing online reviews of the five stories that make up the book, and have created discussion forums. Perhaps the company feels the publicity and traffic to their site it generates will make it a good business decision. With a market cap of some $35 billion, this is small potatoes to Amazon, almost a transfer of funds from a billionaire 35 times over to a poor woman of just a single billion in wealth (actually, Ms. Rowling donated the proceeds to the Children's Voice Campaign, one of her favorite charities). If Amazon had chosen to distribute the $4 million to its shareholders instead of buying Ms. Rowling's book, the dividend would have amounted to a mere penny a share.
There is one mystery that remains to this story. Who were the other bidders? It was reported that there were five bidders in total, and at least one of them must have followed Amazon to the upper $3 millions before throwing in the towel. Who else was willing to pay such an astronomical amount for a book estimated at $60,000-$100,000? Some people have entirely too much money.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("Martinus Luther") to His Friend the Theologian Gerhard Wiskamp ("Gerardo Xantho Lampadario"). $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: An Exceptionally Fine Copy of Austenís Emma: A Novel in Three Volumes. $40,000 - $60,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Presentation Copy of Ernest Hemmingwayís A Farewell to Arms for Edward Titus of the Black Mankin Press. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript Signed Integrally for "The Songs of Pooh," by Alan Alexander. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript of "Three Fragments from Gˆtterd‰mmerung" by Richard Wagner. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Preliminary Artwork, for the First Edition of Snow Crash. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("T.R. Malthus") to Economist Nassau Senior on Wealth, Labor and Adam Smith. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides Finely Bound by Michael Wilcox. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: First Edition of Lewis and Clark: Travels to the Source of the Missouri River and Across the American Continent to the Pacific Ocean. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Artwork for the First Edition of Neal Stephenson's Groundbreaking Novel Snow Crash. $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: A Complete Set Signed Deluxe Editions of King's The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("John Adams") to James Le Ray de Chaumont During the Crucial Years of the Revolutionary War. $8,000 - $12,000.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Francesco Colonna. Hypnerotomachie, Paris, 1546, Parisian calf by Wotton Binder C for Marcus Fugger. €200,000 to €300,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Nausea. De principiis dialectices Gorgias, and other works, Venice, 1523, morocco gilt for Cardinal Campeggio. €3,000 to €4,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Billon. Le fort inexpugnable de l'honneur, Paris, 1555, Parisian calf gilt for Peter Ernst, Graf von Mansfeld. €120,000 to €180,000.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Salinger, J.D. The Graham Family archive, including autographed letters, an inscribed Catcher, a rare studio photograph of the author, and more. $120,000 to $180,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of Sense and Sensibility, the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Massachusetts General Court. A powerful precursor to the Declaration of Independence: "every Act of Government … without the Consent of the People, is … Tyranny." $40,000 to $60,000.
Heritage Auctions Rare Books Signature Auction December 15, 2025
Heritage, Dec. 15: John Donne. Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death. London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.
Heritage, Dec. 15: Edgar Rice Burroughs. Tarzan of the Apes.
Heritage, Dec. 15: F. Scott Fitzgerald. Tender is the Night. A Romance.
Heritage, Dec. 15: Jerry Thomas. How to Mix Drinks, or the Bon-Vivant's Companion, Containing Clear and Reliable Directions for Mixing All the Beverages Used in the United States…
![<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 16:</b> [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of <i>Sense and Sensibility,</i> the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/9a74d9ff-42dd-46a1-8bb2-b636c4cec796.png "<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 16:</b> [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of <i>Sense and Sensibility,</i> the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.")
![<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/8caddaea-4c1f-47a7-9455-62f53af36e3f.jpg "<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.")
