"Mokesin" or "moleskin"? (Was: CHAPTER DISCUSSIONS: DH7)

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 179066

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Carol" <justcarol67 at ...> wrote:
>
> Carol: If you read the list from your e-mail, please ignore the
> unfinished version of this message (now deleted from the list itself)
> that I accidentally sent! Don't know what key I touched to do that!
> 
> Carol earlier:
> > > Just wondering here: Does the Bloomsbury edition say "moleskin" 
> (like Hagrid's coat in PoA)? The American edition says "mokeskin"
> > 
> zanooda responded: 
> > Hi, Carol! The only difference is that in the British edition it is
> "Mokeskin" (starts with an upper-case M), and in the American edition
> it is just "mokeskin" :-). In the Russian translation it is "donkey
> skin" (or should it be "ass's skin"?), which doesn't make much sense,
> IMO, even though I know that "moke" can mean "donkey". Personally I
> would never doubt that JKR meant Moke from the "Fantastic Beasts"
> here, if not for the "furry" aspect of this supposedly lizard skin,
> which confuses me even today :-).
> 
> > zanooda, wondering if JKR forgot her own description of Mokes in the
> "Fantastic Beasts".

Geoff:
Sorry to muddy the waters but I have the Bloomsbury hardback de 
luxe edition - which is identical in text layout to the standard 
hardback and softback editions - and I find:

'Hagrid was waiting for his class at the door of his hut. He stood
 in his **moleskin** overcoat, with Fang the boarhound at his heels, 
looking impatient to start.'
(POA "Talons and Tea Leaves" p.86 UK edition)

Zanooda, can you please enlighten me where you have Mokeskin 
with an upper case M in your copy or are you referring to my next 
quote?

In DH, however, we do have:

'He (Hagrid) pulled out a small, slightly furry drawstring pouch 
with a long string, evidently intended  to be worn round the neck. 
"Mokeskin. Hide anythin' in there an' no one but the owner can get 
it out. They're rare, them."'
(DH "The Will of Albus Dumbledore" p.102 UK edition)

Obviously, the upper case is used in this quote because the word is 
the start of a sentence but it is capitalised in the middle of a sentence 
later in the same chapter:

'...and Harry filled Hagrid's Mokeskin purse, not with gold, but with 
those items he most prized...'
(DH "The Will of Albus Dumbledore" p.111 UK edition)

Mark you, if it's donkey skin, would you describe that as furry?

Geoff
A great fan of Eeyore...