Unless you have been living under a rock, or have been turned into a statue by an evil wizard, you probably know that author J. K. Rowling is releasing a new book on December 4, 2008.

That book is The Tales of Beedle the Bard and it will be published by Penguin Books. All proceeds for the book will go to the charity that Rowling set up called Charity Children’s High Level Group. There will also be a collector’s limited edition of the book. The book was originally published as a limited edition of seven copies. One copy of that edition sold for $3.98 million in 2007.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard features five fairy tales, illustrated by Rowling. The tales each feature commentary and footnotes by Professor Aldus Dumbledore. Fans of the Harry Potter series will recognize him as the late head master of Hogwarts School. The book gives us a lot of the historical background to the Harry Potter universe.

For fans of Harry Potter , and for those who wonder what all the fuss is about, this will be a wonderful addition to your library.