Rowling finishes first post-Potter book

LONDON, Nov. 1 (UPI) -- British author J.K. Rowling has finished writing "The Tales of Beedle the Bard," a collection of fairy stories to remain unpublished, the Times of London said.

The book is Rowling's first since she completed her blockbuster Harry Potter series.

Fans will not be able to buy copies of Rowling's latest volume online or in bookstores, however.

Only seven copies, one of which will be auctioned at Sotheby's next month to raise money for the charity, The Children's Voice, will ever be printed, The Times said.

Hand-written and illustrated by the author, the books are bound in brown leather and covered with silver and semi-precious stones.

Aside from the one book that is to be sold at auction, all the other volumes have been given away as gifts.

"The Tales of Beedle the Bard" is mentioned in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," the final installment of the popular wizard saga.

"'The Tales of Beedle the Bard' is really a distillation of the themes found in the Harry Potter books, and writing it has been the most wonderful way to say good-bye to a world I have loved and lived in for 17 years," Rowling said.