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The Tale of Peter Rabbit. London: Privately printed, 1901
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POTTER, Beatrix (1866-1943)
The Tale of Peter Rabbit. London: Privately printed, 1901
Privately printed first edition of Beatrix Potter's first book, one of only 250 copies of the first issue: from the library of Maurice Sendak. The Tale of Peter Rabbit was born from one of the illustrated letters written by Potter to the children of her former governess, Annie Moore. When Annie’s son, Noel, was recovering from scarlet fever in 1893, she sent him a story based on a rabbit she’d owned as a child, a Belgian buck called Peter Piper. This would become her first book, but its journey to print was not straightforward: after being turned down by at least six publishers, Potter eventually decided to have the book privately printed at her own expense, in an edition of 250 copies, with all the illustrations but the frontispiece in black and white. ‘The books were ready on 16 December and Miss Potter began giving them away to selected friends and relatives and selling them to others at one shilling, two pence each. By this time, however, Beatrix Potter's career had already been given its first impetus, for the publisher Frederick Warne & Co. had agreed to accept the book for publication in a regular trade edition. But in February 1902, before the trade edition was ready, Miss Potter ordered another 200 copies to be printed of her private edition; this second issue had a rather better binding, with rounded back and darker printed boards’ (Gottlieb).
Duodecimo (133 x 102mm). Colour frontispiece, monochrome illustrations throughout. Original light grey pictorial boards with a flat spine (some minor foxing to paper edges occasionally visible on pages). Custom chemise and morocco-backed box. Provenance: Maurice Sendack (1928-2012, author and illustrator); sold Christie’s New York, 25 April 2022, lot 45, to benefit the Rosenbach Museum.
The Tale of Peter Rabbit. London: Privately printed, 1901
Privately printed first edition of Beatrix Potter's first book, one of only 250 copies of the first issue: from the library of Maurice Sendak. The Tale of Peter Rabbit was born from one of the illustrated letters written by Potter to the children of her former governess, Annie Moore. When Annie’s son, Noel, was recovering from scarlet fever in 1893, she sent him a story based on a rabbit she’d owned as a child, a Belgian buck called Peter Piper. This would become her first book, but its journey to print was not straightforward: after being turned down by at least six publishers, Potter eventually decided to have the book privately printed at her own expense, in an edition of 250 copies, with all the illustrations but the frontispiece in black and white. ‘The books were ready on 16 December and Miss Potter began giving them away to selected friends and relatives and selling them to others at one shilling, two pence each. By this time, however, Beatrix Potter's career had already been given its first impetus, for the publisher Frederick Warne & Co. had agreed to accept the book for publication in a regular trade edition. But in February 1902, before the trade edition was ready, Miss Potter ordered another 200 copies to be printed of her private edition; this second issue had a rather better binding, with rounded back and darker printed boards’ (Gottlieb).
Duodecimo (133 x 102mm). Colour frontispiece, monochrome illustrations throughout. Original light grey pictorial boards with a flat spine (some minor foxing to paper edges occasionally visible on pages). Custom chemise and morocco-backed box. Provenance: Maurice Sendack (1928-2012, author and illustrator); sold Christie’s New York, 25 April 2022, lot 45, to benefit the Rosenbach Museum.
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