Beatrix Potter - The Tale of Peter Rabbit
Dec 8th, 2006 by Bauman
“Once upon a time there were four rabbits…” - Beatrix Potter.
In 1893 a young Beatrix Potter, on holiday with her parents in Scotland, composed a “picture letter” to cheer the child of her former governess, ill with rheumatic fever. “My dear Noel,” she began, “I shall tell you a story about four little rabbits, whose names were Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail and Peter.”
Some years later, Potter revised Noel’s story into The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Rejected by six publishers, an undaunted Potter printed the first two editions of Peter Rabbit at her own expense, and those privately printed copies - together only 450 copies - sold out immediately.
Publisher Frederick Warne agreed to print a one-shilling trade edition of Peter Rabbit, featuring the unforgettable full-color illustrations which would make Peter Rabbit one of the most popular of all children’s books. We offer a lovely first trade edition of The Tale of Peter Rabbit, one of the earliest issues in the very scarce brown paper boards.