The Ickabog.

ROWLING, J.K.

$4,000.00

Item Number: 132148

London: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2020.

First edition of this work by Rowling. Octavo, original decorated boards, with illustrations by the winners of The Ickabog Illustration Competition. Signed by J.K. Rowling on the half-title page. With Rowling’s hologram opposite her signature. Fine in a fine dust jacket. With the original Foyles bookmark and shopping bag. Rare and desirable signed.

Rowling's first children's book since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, The Ickabog was first published online in installments between 26 May and 10 July 2020. Rowling stated, "I’ve decided to publish The Ickabog for free online, so children on lockdown, or even those back at school during these strange, unsettling times, can read it or have it read to them." She simultaneously organized on online illustration competition with ideas for images needed for each chapter of the book, the best of which were printed in the published book. Rowling relays in her preface, "The idea for the Ickabog came to me a long time ago. The word Ickabog derives from 'Ichabod', meaning 'no glory' or 'the glory has departed'. I think you'll understand why I chose the name once you've read the story, which deals with themes that have always interested me. What do the monsters we conjure tell us about ourselves? What must happen for evil to get a grip on a person, or on a country, and what does it take to defeat it? Why do people choose to believe likes even on scant or non-existent evidence?" Upon publication, Rowling announced that she would be donating her net royalties from the book to The Volant Charitable Trust, expected to be equivalent to a minimum of £2.00 for each copy of The Ickabog sold in the UK.