Beatrix Potter: The Tale of Peter Rabbit

An affectionate companion

The 'real' Peter Rabbit was a Belgian buck rabbit called Peter Piper that was, as wrote Potter later, 'bought at a very tender age, in the Uxbridge Road, Shepherd's Bush, for the exorbitant sum of 4/6'. He was to prove a sound investment. This 'affectionate companion' lent his first name to one of the world's best-loved fictional characters and earned Beatrix Potter enduring international acclaim for the series of 'little books' that bear his name.

Peter Piper was the second rabbit that Potter acquired as a small girl (the first was called Benjamin, himself to become the subject of a story in The Tale of Benjamin Bunny), and a much-loved member of the menagerie that kept her amused in what was a rather lonely childhood. Potter wrote later in a letter to a child that:

'Peter used to lie before the fire on the heart rug like a cat. He was clever at learning tricks, he used to jump through a hoop, and ring a bell, and play the tambourine.'

As a little girl, Potter took Peter Piper on trips out of the house, keeping him in line with a small lead.

Potter spent a lot of time studying and drawing Peter Piper. He was rather fat, 'good at tricks' and 'very naughty' - the perfect model for a story about a mischievous and greedy little rabbit. Potter first composed her story of Peter Rabbit in 1893 in the form of a picture-letter to Noel Moore, the five-year-old son of her friend and former governess, Annie Moore. He was recovering from a bout of scarlet fever. Potter begins:

'I don't know what to write to you, so I shall tell you story about four little rabbits, whose names were Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail, and Peter'.

A book for little rabbits

In the following years Beatrix sent other picture letters to Noel and to his brother and sisters, including stories about an 'excessively impertinent' squirrel called Nutkin and a disconsolate frog called Mr. Jeremy Fisher. In 1900 Annie suggested to Beatrix that her picture letters might contain material for several picture books. Fortunately the children had kept their letters safe and Beatrix was able to borrow them to copy and rework her text and illustrations. Noel's story of Peter Rabbit was to become Beatrix's first book.

In 1900 Beatrix borrowed Noel's letter – she wanted to rework the original pictures and story and try and sell the idea to a publisher. Her intention was that the book would be small-format, so it could be held easily by children's hands, and that it would feature a black-and-white illustration on each page, to keep the interest of the youngest readers. Six publishers, including Frederick Warne, rejected the story – they wanted something in a larger, more expensive format, and colour illustrations. But Potter remained resolute, deciding that since 'little rabbits cannot afford to spend 6 shillings on one book' she would publish the book herself, at a sale price of 1s 2d.

On 16th December 1901, Strangeways & Sons printed 250 copies, each with a colour frontispiece printed by Hentschel of Fleet Street. The first edition's immediate success prompted Potter to order a reprint of a further 200 copies only a few months later, in February 1902. One copy of Beatrix's privately printed edition contains the following inscription:

'In affectionate remembrance of poor old Peter Rabbit, who died on the 26th of January 1901 at the end of his 9th year … whatever the limitations of his intellect or outward shortcomings of his fur, and his ears and toes, his disposition was uniformly amiable and his temper unfailingly sweet. An affectionate companion and a quiet friend.'

An appalling quantity of Peter

Meanwhile, a friend of the Potter family, Canon Rawnsley (one of the founder members of the National Trust), had encouraged Frederick Warne to reconsider publishing Beatrix's story. On 16th December 1901, as Potter celebrated the printing of her private edition, Warne wrote with an offer to publish the 'Bunny Book' the following year, with the condition that she slightly revised the story and produced colour illustrations. His terms were agreed to.

Potter was interested in all aspects of the book's production, carefully editing Warne's proofs for both the text and illustrations, and making recommendations for the design of the endpapers and the colour binding. Publication began in October 1902 with a first edition of 8000 copies, a further 12,000 copies were printed in November and 8220 copies in December. Within a year Warne was already planning a sixth printing. Beatrix was astonished: 'The public must be fond of rabbits! What an appalling quantity of Peter'. Widely considered to be one of the most popular children's books of all time, The Tale of Peter Rabbit has gone on to sell an astonishing 40 million copies worldwide.

Peter never stopped running …

Advances in modern printing and design technology have played a crucial role in maintaining the fresh appearance of The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Warne re-photographed Beatrix's original illustrations for a new edition in 1987. In 2002, to mark the centenary of the commercial publication of The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Warne has designed another new edition. Taking the first edition of The Tale of Peter Rabbit as a guide, Warne has redressed Peter according to Beatrix's original intentions with six 'extra' illustrations (including four removed from the 1903 edition to allow space for illustrated endpapers), a new typeface and plainer, more 'restful' endpapers.

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  Beatrix Potter, ‘Warne’s cloth first edition of The Tale of Peter Rabbit’

  Beatrix Potter, ‘Warne’s cloth first edition of The Tale of Peter Rabbit’, © Frederick Warne & Co. 2006

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  Beatrix Potter ‘Reilly & Lee Co.’s The Story of Peter Rabbit, 1920’ © Frederick Warne & Co. 2006

  Beatrix Potter ‘Reilly & Lee Co.’s The Story of Peter Rabbit, 1920’ © Frederick Warne & Co. 2006

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  Beatrix Potter ‘Peter Rabbit’s Painting Book (1911)’ © Frederick Warne & Co. 2006

  Beatrix Potter ‘Peter Rabbit’s Painting Book (1911)’ © Frederick Warne & Co. 2006

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  Beatrix Potter, ‘Henry Altemus Co’s pirated edition of The Tale of Peter Rabbit

  Beatrix Potter, ‘Henry Altemus Co’s pirated edition of The Tale of Peter Rabbit, 1904’ © Frederick Warne & Co. 2006

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  Beatrix Potter, ‘Certificate of registration for a Peter Rabbit doll

  Beatrix Potter, ‘Certificate of registration for a Peter Rabbit doll, 1903’ © Frederick Warne & Co. 2006

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  Beatrix Potter, ‘Preliminary sketch for The Tale of Peter Rabbit’ © Frederick Warne & Co. 2006

  Beatrix Potter, ‘Preliminary sketch for The Tale of Peter Rabbit’ © Frederick Warne & Co. 2006

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  Beatrix Potter, ‘Peter Rabbit’s Almanac

  Beatrix Potter, ‘Peter Rabbit’s Almanac, 1929’ © Frederick Warne & Co. 2006

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  Beatrix Potter, ‘Privately printed edition (1901)’ © Frederick Warne & Co. 2006

  Beatrix Potter, ‘Privately printed edition (1901)’ © Frederick Warne & Co. 2006

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  Beatrix Potter, ‘Preliminary design for the cover of The Tale of Peter Rabbit’ © Frederick Warne & Co. 2006

  Beatrix Potter, ‘Preliminary design for the cover of The Tale of Peter Rabbit’ © Frederick Warne & Co. 2006

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  Beatrix Potter, ‘Original illustration (unused) for The Tale of Peter Rabbit’ © Frederick Warne & Co. 2006

  Beatrix Potter, ‘Original illustration (unused) for The Tale of Peter Rabbit’ © Frederick Warne & Co. 2006

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  Beatrix Potter, ‘Pencil study of Peter Rabbit’ © Frederick Warne & Co. 2006

  Beatrix Potter, ‘Pencil study of Peter Rabbit’ © Frederick Warne & Co. 2006

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  Peter Rabbit, © Frederick Warne & Co. 2006

  Peter Rabbit, © Frederick Warne & Co. 2006