Peter - Beatrix Potter's famous rabbit
'The Tale of Peter Rabbit' is a classic of children's literature by Beatrix Potter - writer, natural scientist, conservationist and illustrator. Potter went on to publish over 30 books in her lifetime, which remain widely read and loved by children today.
The Tale of Peter Rabbit was inspired by a pet rabbit Beatrix Potter had as a child growing up in Kensington in West London, which she named Peter Piper. The story was both written and illustrated by Potter, and it follows the mischievous and disobedient young Peter Rabbit. The tale was written in 1893 for Noel Moore, the five- year-old son of Potter’s former governess.
The story was revised and privately published by Potter in 1901 after several publishers’ rejections. In 1902 it was printed in a trade edition by Frederick Warne & Co. The book was a huge success and multiple reprints were issued in the years immediately following its debut. It has since been translated into 36 languages and with 45 million copies sold, it is one of the best-selling books in history.
Potter herself has become closely associated with the Lake District, which inspired many of her tales. She holidayed in the Lakes for many years, and used her income from her books and merchandise to purchase farms in the Lake District, eventually becoming a Cumbrian sheep farmer and marrying a local solicitor. She bequeathed her estate of 14 farms, 4,000 acres of land and her flocks of Herdwick sheep to the National Trust on her death in 1943. Her house in Cumbria, Hill Top, is a popular visitor attraction.
Peter Rabbit has remained popular amongst children for over a century. Since its release, the book has generated considerable accompanying merchandise for both children and adults. Potter herself was one of the first to be responsible for such items when she patented a Peter Rabbit doll in 1903 - followed almost immediately with a Peter Rabbit board game. In 2018, her creation even came alive as a computer animation in the film Peter Rabbit.
One of the few surviving copies of the original Peter Rabbit is now on sale at Jokers Rare Books.
Further reading
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