Rejected by at least six publishers and privately printed in December 1901 by Beatrix Potter herself, The Tale of Peter Rabbit is still in print today. But if you were lucky enough to uncover one of the first run of 250 copies, each featuring 42 pen and ink drawings by Ms Potter herself and bound in simple grey paper covers, well then you’d be hopping with delight. One such copy sold at UK auction house Dominic Winter in early October for nearly $121,000, when it was offered as part of the private collection of Beatrix Potter books collected by the late Thomas and Greta Schuster.
The Tale of Peter Rabbit emerged from letters that Beatrix wrote to Noel Carter, who was the son of her former governess Annie, in 1893. ‘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,’ she wrote, sending the story decorated with her own illustrations.
Within two months of the first print run Beatrix had a further 200 copies printed, with slightly amended text, and in October 1902 the first commercially printed edition was released.
A second selection of Beatrix Potter books from the Schuster collection will be offered at Dominic Winter on December 11.
