|
||||||||
  |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Muggles bid for Potter book clues
LONDON, England -- British author J.K. Rowling's clues to the eagerly awaited new Harry Potter adventure are being sold at auction for charity. The 93-word hand-written teaser for "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" goes under the hammer on Thursday. Although the story is a closely guarded secret, the words give some clues to the fifth book in the Potter series. London auctioneers Sotheby's say the teaser includes the words: "Ron ... broom ... sacked ... house-elf ... new ... teacher ... dies ... sorry." Written in blue ink, the teaser is being sold "sight unseen" -- meaning a buyer could choose to keep the remaining words a secret. It has a reserve price of £5,000 (about $8,000), but with Potter-mania currently at its peak following the release of the second blockbuster film, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," it could fetch much more. Among the bidders will be an international group of die-hard Harry Potter fans who used the Internet to band together to make an attempt to buy the sneak peek of the novel. Members of an Internet fan site -- www.the-leaky-cauldron.org -- have promised to put the plot clues on their site if their bid succeeds. Managing editor Melissa Anelli said: "We were worried that a wealthy fan would win it and keep its contents private from the millions of fans eagerly waiting for more than 2 1/2 years to find out about the next book." Potter fans have grown increasingly curious about the plot of the book as Rowling has declined to publicly select a release date for "Order of the Phoenix." The fourth adventure, the mammoth and dark "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," appeared in July 2000.
Rowling has repeatedly denied she is suffering from writer's block and said there was never any intention of publishing book five in 2001. She has said: "There's a lot of book done. That's all I want to say, because if I give it a date and then I pass it everyone will be upset. "I know a lot of Harry Potter fans will say, 'Just give it to us.' But I'm a perfectionist and I want a bit more of a tweak." Proceeds from Thursday's auction will go to Book Aid International, a charity that supports local initiatives by providing books for readers of all ages in 40 of the poorest countries in the world. Book Aid International director Sara Harrity told the UK Press Association: "It's a wonderful Christmas present for readers in some of the world's poorest countries. "The auction proceeds will allow us to provide around 5,000 books for children and adults around the world."
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
