THE VERY RARE PRIVATELY PRINTED PETER RABBIT
The Tale of Peter Rabbit
Privately Printed for the Author, 1901.
First edition, first issue. One of the initial 250 copies published privately for the author. Original fawn paper covered boards lettered in black, with a flat spine. Colour frontispiece and 41 woodblock engravings from line drawings by the author. A very good copy indeed, which is tight and crisp with a couple of trivial marks to the upper cover, but virtually no wear to corners or spine ends. Internally very fresh and tight with just a light stain to the base of the initial page edges.
In 1901 Beatrix Potter sent her manuscript of the Tale of Peter Rabbit to at least six publishers only to have it refused by each of them. She made the decision to print the book herself whilst continuing the search for a publisher who would issue the book in accordance with her wishes. 500 copies of the colour frontispiece were printed and she arranged for 250 copies of her book to be printed by the London firm of Strangeways. These were on sale by December 1901 and in January 1902 she ordered another 200 copies, which contained the same illustrations as the first print run, but had a few textual modifications, plus a rounded, rather than flat, spine.
Later in 1902 Frederick Warne & Co. agreed to publish the book for Miss Potter, but wished to have all the illustrations in colour. In order to achieve this 11 of the illustrations were removed and the text was edited again. Some of the text which was removed for the published edition was later used in The Tale of Benjamin Bunny (1904).
Due to the limited print run and the fragility of the privately printed edition of Peter Rabbit, copies of this book are now very rare indeed, particularly in good, unrepaired condition.
Stock ID: 31101
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