[5] The book was published for the general public on 4 December 2008, with the proceeds going to the Children's High Level Group (renamed Lumos in 2010).

The book is bequeathed to Hermione Granger by Albus Dumbledore, former headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

It is described as a popular collection of wizarding children's fairy tales, so that while Ron Weasley is familiar with the stories, Harry Potter and Hermione had not previously heard of them due to their non-magical upbringing.

[9] These three objects are also mentioned in the story itself, and are said to belong to the Peverell brothers,[9] who are later revealed as being both Lord Voldemort's and Harry's ancestors.

[10] Towards the end of the novel, Dumbledore also confirms Harry's connection to the Peverells, and states that the three brothers might in fact have been the creators of the Hallows.

[11] The introduction (written by Rowling) to the publications released in December 2008 mentions that the fictional character Beedle the Bard was born in Yorkshire, lived in the fifteenth century, and had "an exceptionally luxuriant beard".

[15] Originally The Tales of Beedle the Bard had only been produced in a limited number of seven handmade copies, all handwritten and illustrated by the author herself.

[16] The books were bound in brown morocco leather, and decorated with hand-chased silver ornaments and mounted semiprecious stones by silversmith and jeweller Hamilton & Inches of Edinburgh.

[19] Six of these original handwritten copies were uniquely dedicated and given by Rowling to six people who were most involved with the Harry Potter series.

[20][21] Rowling also decided to create a seventh handwritten copy (distinguished from the others by its moonstone jewelling) to sell at auction in order to raise funds for The Children's Voice charity campaign.

This copy features an author's note addressed to Cunningham which reads "To Barry, the man who thought an overlong novel about a boy wizard in glasses might just sell … THANK YOU."

[28] The decision was taken due to disappointment among Harry Potter fans after it had initially been announced a wide public release was not intended.

[8][29] Similarly to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Quidditch Through the Ages (two other books mentioned in the Harry Potter novels that have also been printed) the standard and collector's editions of The Tales of Beedle the Bard feature commentary and footnotes from Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts and one of the main characters of the series.

"The Tale of the Three Brothers" first appeared in Deathly Hallows,[9] while three others received cursory attention in the same novel: "The Wizard and the Hopping Pot", "The Fountain of Fair Fortune", and "Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump".

[19] This story is about the legacy of an old man who, in his generosity, used his magic for other people when they needed his help; he credited his potions pot as the source of his antidotes.

He does not help over five people, so each time he does so, the pot takes on the symptoms of the ones who ask for help; it starts disturbing the son and prevents him from having any peace of mind.

Three witches—Asha, who suffers from an incurable disease; Altheda, who was robbed of her wand and wealth; and Amata, who is distraught after being left by her beloved—decide to try to reach the fountain together.

On their path to the fountain, they face three challenges: a giant worm that demands "proof of [their] pain", which quenches its thirst with the tears Asha sheds from frustration after several failed attempts; a steep slope where they have to bring the "fruit of their labours", which Altheda encourages the others to overcome with her with her hard-earned effort and the sweat of her brow; and a river that requires them to pay for crossing it with "the treasure of [their] past", which Amata uses as a Pensieve that washes away her regret for her cruel and false lover, thus removing her need of the fountain.

Sir Luckless bathes in the fountain, after which he flings himself at Amata's feet and asks for "her hand and her heart", which she happily gives.

However, one day, he hears two servants whispering about him not having a wife, so he decides to find a talented, rich, and beautiful witch and marry her to gain everyone's envy.

Afterwards, a "stout old rabbit" with a wand in its teeth hops out from a hole beneath the stump and leaves the kingdom.

They make a magical bridge over the river wherein just as they cross, they meet the personification of Death, who is angry for losing three potential victims.

[31][32] Sotheby's deputy director Philip W. Errington described the handmade edition as "one of the most exciting pieces of children's literature" to have passed through the auction house.

[33] The Telegraph reviewed it unfavourably, noting that they "would be unremarkable were it not for the body of work that lies behind it" and that there was "an element of padding to make it a respectable length".

[34] A live puppet show of The Fountain of Fair Fortune and The Tale of the Three Brothers is presented daily at the Diagon Alley expansion of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Florida.

The sequence was directed by Ben Hibon and animated at Framestore; like in the novel, it is also narrated in-universe by Hermione Granger (Emma Watson).