Hand-written and illustrated book by J K Rowling up for sale

'Harry Potter' fans will be able to bid for a piece of history next week when a book designed, hand-written and illustrated by J.K. Rowling goes on sale at Sotheby's auction house in London.

"The Tales of Beedle the Bard" is one of six copies the author produced to give as gifts to those who helped bring the story of the boy wizard to life, and is seen fetching 300,000-500,000 pounds ($378,000-$630,000) at Tuesday's sale. A seventh copy was produced for a 2007 auction to raise money for the author's charity, Lumos, raising 1.95 million pounds.
'The Tales of Beedle the Bard' is a volume of five wizarding fairy tales left to Hermione Granger by Albus Dumbledore in the final book in the 'Harry Potter' series, 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'.  
Bound in brown Morocco leather, the copy is adorned with silver ornaments with a skull in the center and has seven mounted rhodochrosite stones, according to Sotheby's. 
 

Jayalalithaa's Favourite Book Is  'The Private Life of Chairman Mao', by Li Zhisui

To the doctors working on former chief minister J Jayalalithaa, who was confined to a bed at Apollo Hospitals for 74 days, she wasn't just a distinguished patient, but also immensely self-aware and agile.
When he wasn't treating her, Dr R Narasimhan, Apollo's senior respiratory physician, would discuss books with the late chief minister and on one occasion, she recommended that he read 'The Private Life of Chairman Mao', by Li Zhisui. "She happened to tell me she was a voracious reader. When I told her I was too, she immediately suggested I read this book, which she also described as her favourite," remembers Dr Narasimhan.
The book, which the doctor says, was described by Jayalalithaa as "one that could shape your character," is in fact one of the more controversial works on the life and times of Mao Zedong. 

Carolyn Reidy Settled The eBooks vs Print Books Debate 


(Representative image: The 2000 Euro David Hockney sumo book, at 2016 Frankfurt Book Fair) 

Read this excerpt from an interview with Carolyn Reidy, President & CEO, Simon & Schuster. 
When asked about the future of publishing, Carolyn Reidy said "I have been with Simon and Schuster (S&S) for 25 years now. Before joining S&S, I did work in  a publishing firm in a trade and marketing role, and I can safely that in the  two decades that I have been a part of the industry, have seen a lot of waves! From people predicting the end of physical books to digital taking over and back to a resurgence of sorts for physical books, the industry has seen it all. When  digital  burst  into  the  scene,  there  were  iPads  and  Kindles.  It  was  a  new  fad  and everybody  seemed  to  be  enamored  by  it.  Now,  I  think  that  there  is  a  little  bit  of  a  screen fatigue  setting  in  with  smartphones  and  iPads  and  devices.  And hence,  (physical)  books  still  remain a  part  of  the consciousness. Like when it comes to children, parents would rather buy physical, and not digital, books.
She also added that  “Apart  from  screen  fatigue,  many  also  believe  that  remembering  becomes  easier  when  you  are  physically  reading  a  book. There is a tactile memory that comes out of reading physically. Digital is good for travelling as it allows you to connect to a dictionary faster but it seems consumers do not want referencing! Digital does not sell as well, and this year, the sale of eBooks declined about 20 per cent." 

#Monday Motivation

This Note From Arnold Schwarzenegger Titled 'I am Not A Self- Made Man' Is Golden Wisdom

Once in a hundred years a few exceptional men are born. Men who rise from scratch and create history. We are lucky to have witnessed the rise and rise of Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Austrian Oak. Starting from humble beginnings, Arnold never had an idea that he will become, hands down, the greatest bodybuilder that ever walked the face of this earth. It’s just not bodybuilding, Arnold eventually excelled at everything he put his hands in. Acting, politics, supplements—he ruled them all. While people saw him shining, what he did to get that polished will inspire you. Right from his early teens Arnold was focused on weight lifting. He knew he was made for it. He plunged into it and weight lifting carved his path into the world of bodybuilding. With hard work and dedication, he became the greatest. He knew he was never meant to stay back in Austria. He moved to America and achieved further success in the world of bodybuilding. Then, it was Hollywood. Critics shut him down and made fun of his accent but he was determined to move ahead. He did and now, he sits in the history books of Hollywood as the greatest action hero ever. The man has been unstoppable ever since. But while the world thinks he was self-made, he has something else to say.

Here’s a post Arnold penned himself on Facebook and it will help you aspire for better in life.