Beatrix Potter

The Tale of Peter Rabbit (Limited Edition)

£325

Introduced By Emma Thompson

This collection of rarely seen editions of Beatrix Potter’s much loved debut, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, features exquisite facsimiles from the archive of her publisher Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd., charting the transformation from Peter’s initial appearance in a picture letter, to the glorious full-colour deluxe first commercial edition.

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Book Details

Presentation Box & BindingFacsimile of deluxe edition, 1902
Bound in cloth with an inset label; Printed on Sirio Calce Stucco paper; Gold page tops; Printed endpapers
Facsimile of picture letter, 1893, printed on Arena Wove paper 8 pages. 8 inches × 4¾ inches
Facsimile of privately printed edition, 1901
Bound in Wibalin paper; Printed on Sirio Calce Stucco paper; 88 pages. 5¾ inches × 4¼ inches
Facsimile of maquette, 1902
Printed on Arena Wove paper; Presented in an archive folder made from Sirio Color paper blocked in silver foil; 88 pages. 5 inches × 3¾ inches
Five Christmas letters printed on Arena Wove paper; Each 3 inches × 1½ inches
Giclée print on Modigliani Insize Neve paper with blind embossed frame line; 9 inches × 6½ inches
Limitation certificate printed letterpress on Fedrigoni Tintoretto Ceylon paper
Commentary set in Caslon, printed on Abbey Pure paper and bound in Sirio Color paper blocked in silver foil; 80 pages. 9½ inches × 6½ inches
Presentation box covered in cloth blocked in silver and blue and lined with paper blocked in silver with a design taken from an illustration 14 inches × 13¾ inches × 2 inches

Dimensions5 inches × 3¾ inches

Pages88 pages

AuthorBeatrix Potter

Publication Date12/07/2022

Editor's Notes

To mark the 120th anniversary of a story that has delighted countless children, the Folio Society is excited to publish exclusive editions of Beatrix Potter’s inimitable classic, The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Strictly limited to 1,000 hand-numbered sets, these meticulously produced facsimiles perfectly replicate treasures from the archive of her publisher Frederick Warne and Co. Collectors can follow the emergence of the miniature masterpiece from the seeds of the story in a now famous picture letter written to entertain a sick child, through Beatrix Potter’s privately printed edition with its distinctive line drawings, to the mock-up book – or maquette – handwritten in Potter’s beautiful script showing exactly how she wished the words and pictures to appear. With the full-colour commercial deluxe version first produced in 1902, the transformation is complete. Also tucked inside the elegant presentation box are charming replicas of five tiny Christmas letters, a giclée print of Peter wearing his signature blue jacket, and a hand-numbered limitation certificate. The set is completed by a specially commissioned commentary volume comprising a delightful foreword from renowned actor, screenwriter and Beatrix Potter devotee Dame Emma Thompson, and a richly illustrated, authoritative history of The Tale written by Sara Glenn, Commercial Curator of the Warne Archive.

About the book

A Perfect Edition of a Perfect Book

Beatrix Potter was a self-proclaimed perfectionist, who devoted extraordinary care to every aspect of her books. She took pride in cutting and polishing her text and drawing and re-drawing the illustrations; helped choose the paper for the text pages and bindings; selected the size and style of the font; approved the printing blocks and the colours to be used; and revised the proofs to correct punctuation, wording and even spacing. These same meticulous standards have been applied to the production of this anniversary edition, from the design of the cloth-covered box – complete with navy ribbons to allow the books to be removed safely from their recesses, and a specially designed lining showing Peter hiding in the cabbage patch – to the paper binding of the privately printed edition, the thread-sewn pages of the maquette and the cloth-bound deluxe edition with endpapers replicated from the original and gilded page tops. Every page of the originals has been newly photographed for the facsimiles to show the delicacy of Beatrix Potter’s original work and the wonderful softness of her colouring. This glorious presentation of Potter’s finest tale is sure to delight even the most ardent fan.

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About the book

A Perfect Edition of a Perfect Book

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Beatrix Potter was born in London in 1866 to Rupert and Helen Potter. Educated by governesses, Potter spent much of her childhood isolated from children, apart from her younger brother Bertram. Her love of nature and her artistic skills were nurtured during long family holidays in Scotland and the Lake District, where the siblings were given freedom to explore the countryside. Potter’s professional career began when she painted and sold greetings cards, most of which included drawings of animals. Later, she turned one of her illustrated stories into a book, which she shared with family and friends. The Tale of Peter Rabbit was published in 1902 and it was an immediate success. Further books followed at a rate of two or three each year, until Potter had published a total of 23 little books. In 1905 Potter bought a farm in the Lake District and she spent the remainder of her life living and working there, along with William Heelis, the solicitor she married in 1913. Potter died in December 1943 and left almost all her land and property to the National Trust.

Dame Emma Thompson is an Oscar-winning actor and screenwriter. She is the author of the Peter Rabbit sequels The Further Tale of Peter Rabbit (2012), The Christmas Tale of Peter Rabbit (2013) and The Spectacular Tale of Peter Rabbit (2014), all published by Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd.

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The Tale of Peter Rabbit (Limited Edition)