POTTER, Beatrix.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

The Tale of Peter Rabbit. First edition, first impression, one of 250 privately printed copies. This is the first of the author's "little books", predates the first trade edition by ten months, and provides an insight into how Potter saw her own work. An exceptional copy.In September 1893 Potter wrote a letter to Noel Moore, the son of her former tutor. The letter starts, "I don't know what to write to you, so I shall tell you a story about four little rabbits, whose names were Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail, and Peter…" (Taylor, p. 20). The letter proved a great success within the Moore family, and further picture letters followed, including the basis of what would become The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin. It is likely that the Moore family's enthusiasm for Potter's picture letters gave the author the idea of writing books for children.In 1900 Potter took her original letter and embellished it so that the resulting tale was about a third as long again as the original. Seeking a prospective publisher, Potter sent it to at least seven firms (including Frederick Warne), and all rejected it.Potter knew exactly how she wanted the book to appear: it had to be affordable (for "little rabbits") and in a small format (for small hands). Unable to find a commercial publisher who would accept her proposed format, she published Peter Rabbit herself in a private edition of 250 copies. The book featured a coloured frontispiece and 41 black and white drawings. It was bound in olive-green boards with a

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