AP Report: “Burn-Proof Edition of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Up for Auction”

UPDATE June 7, 2022 “Unburnable’ Copy of Handmaid’s Tale Auctioned For $130,000” (via AP)

—End Update—

From the Associated Press:

On Monday night, timed for PEN America’s annual gala, Atwood and Penguin Random House announced that a one-off, unburnable edition of “The Handmaid’s Tale” would be auctioned through Sotheby’s New York. They launched the initiative with a brief video [see below] that shows Atwood attempting in vain to incinerate her classic novel about a totalitarian patriarchy, the Republic of Gilead. Proceeds will be donated to PEN, which advocates for free expression around the world. “In the category of things you never expected, this is one of them,” she said in a telephone interview.

“To see her classic novel about the dangers of oppression reborn in this innovative, unburnable edition is a timely reminder of what’s at stake in the battle against censorship,” Markus Dohle, CEO of Penguin Random House, said in a statement.

The fireproof narrative is a joint project among PEN, Atwood, Penguin Random House and two companies based in Toronto, where Atwood is a longtime resident: the Rethink creative agency and The Gas Company Inc., a graphic arts and bookbinding specialty studio.

Learn More, Read the Complete AP Report

Direct to Unburnable Book Website

Statement From PEN America: Margaret Atwood Unveils Fireproof Copy of Bestseller The Handmaid’s Tale To Be Auctioned by Sotheby’s in Support of PEN America

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