"There are perhaps no days of our childhood we lived so fully as those we spent with a favourite book."
— Marcel Proust

Helen Beatrix Potter (28 July 1866 – 22 December 1943) was an English writer, illustrator, natural scientist, and conservationist best known for her children's books featuring animals, such as those in The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Potter had an isolated childhood, separate from other children, and educated by governesses. However, her numerous pets and holidays in the Lake District, culminated in a love of landscape, flora and fauna. These became the subjects of her paintings, and literary works. In her thirties, Potter published the highly successful children's book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit.
Although prevented from higher education by society's attitudes to women at the time, Potter's study and watercolors of fungi led to her being widely respected in the field of mycology. She also had a successful career in farming and breeding, based in Hill Top Farm in a village in the Lake District. Potter wrote over 30 books, the best known being her 24 children's tales. On her death in 1943, Potter left almost all her property to the National Trust. She is credited with preserving much of the land that now constitutes the Lake District National Park. Her legacy lives on through her books, which continue to sell throughout the world in many languages; her stories have been retold in song, film, ballet, and animation, and her life depicted in a feature film and television film.
See below our stock of Beatrix Potter First Editions, fine bindings, sets and other collectible material.
London: Ernest Nister, 1896. [Children's collection] FIRST EDITION. Slim quarto (26 x 21cm), pp[44, unpaginated]. Publisher's glazed illustrated boards over a plain cloth spine, decorative endpapers. Tipped in colour frontispiece, profusely illustrated throughout. Nine line drawings by Beatrix Potter used to accompany a verse collection entitled A Frog he would..... More
New York, NY: Frederick Warne and Co., 1905. [Children's Illustrated] FIRST US EDITION. (19 x 15cm), pp.52. With 10 chromolithographic plates including a frontispiece by the author, and many more in-text illustrations. Publisher's blue paper-covered boards with white titles to spine and upper board, and a small circular chromolithographic illustration..... More
New York, NY: Frederick Warne and Co., no date [circa 1920s]. [Children's Illustrated] VINTAGE US EDITION. (18 X 15cm), pp.52. With 10 colour plates including a frontispiece, as well as numerous in-text illustrations by the author. Publisher's address given as 26 East 22d Street, making this edition no earlier than..... More
London: Frederick Warne & Co., 1906. [Children's Illustrated] FIRST EDITION. Sexto-Decimo wallet (12 x 10cm), with a 28 segment concertina text and illustration montage backed onto green cloth. In the publisher's green cloth wallet with machine-marbled lilac paper lining, as well as blue titles and a small square illustration to..... More
New York, NY: Frederick Warne & Co., no date [1907]. [Children's Illustrated] FIRST US EDITION. Sexto-Decimo wallet (12 x 10cm), with a 28 segment concertina text and illustration montage backed onto green cloth. In the publisher's green cloth wallet with machine-marbled green paper lining, as well as navy titles and..... More
London: Frederick Warne, 2018. [Children's Illustrated] LIMITED EDITION. Sextodecimo (15 x 11cm), pp.[57]. Number 1361 of 1500 copies produced for Hatchards of London. With a facsimile of an early greetings card design by Potter titled 'The Days News' as a frontispiece, as well as the original colour illustrations reproduced throughout..... More
New York, NY: Frederick Warne and Co., no date [1911]. [Children's Illustrated] EARLY US EDITION. Sextodecimo (14 x 11cm), pp.85; [1]. With a chromolithographic illustration by the author facing every page of text. Endpapers match Quinby plate X; publisher's address given as 12 East 33d Street. Publisher's green paper-covered boards..... More
New York, NY: Frederick Warne and Co., no date [1918]. [Children's Illustrated] FIRST US EDITION. Sextodecimo (14 x 11cm), pp.85; [1]. With a chromolithographic plate by the author facing every page of text. No 'Ltd.' to title page; endpapers match plate XV in Quinby. Publisher's brown paper-covered boards with white..... More
New York, NY: Frederick Warne and Co., no date [1912]. [Children's Illustrated] FIRST US EDITION. Sextodecimo (14 x 11cm), pp.94. Publisher's address listed as 12 East 33d Street; endpapers match plate XI. With 15 chromolithographic plates including a frontispiece, and frequent wood engraved vignettes. Publisher's light tan paper-covered boards with..... More
New York, NY: Frederick Warne and Co., 1910. [Children's Illustrated]. FIRST US EDITION. Sexto-Decimo (14 x 11cm), pp.85 [1]. With a chromolithographic illustration facing every page of text. Publisher's red paper-covered boards with white titles and a hexagonal chromolithographic illustration laid over upper board. Illustrated endpapers match plate X in..... More
London: Frederick Warne and Co., 1910. [Children's Illustrated] FIRST EDITION. Sextodecimo (14 x 11cm), pp.85; [1]. With a chromolithographic illustration by the author facing every page of text. Endpapers match Quinby plate X. Publisher's blue paper-covered boards with white titles and a hexagonal chromolithographic illustration laid on to the upper..... More
New York: Frederick Warne and Co., 1903. FIRST AMERICAN EDITION. Sexto-Decimo (14 x 11cm), pp.86. Illustrated with 27 coloured plates. Publisher's blue paper-covered boards with illustration laid-down to upper. Endpapers conform to Quinby plate II, with the illustration of Mrs Tiggy-Winkle showing the soles of her shoes (employed 1904-6), the..... More
New York, NY: Frederick Warne and Co., no date [circa 1911]. [Children's Illustrated]. EARLY US EDITION. Sextodecimo (14 x 11cm), pp.85; [1]. With a chromolithographic illustration by the author facing every page of text. Endpapers match plate X in Quinby; publisher's address listed as 12 East 33d Street; copyright 1903..... More
London: Frederick Warne, 2018. [Children's Illustrated] LIMITED EDITION. Sextodecimo (15 x 11cm), pp.[57]. Number 765 of 1500 copies produced for Hatchards of London. With a facsimile of one of Potter's original 'picture letters' as a frontispiece, and all the original colour illustrations reproduced throughout. Publisher's green soft leatherette over boards..... More
New York, NY: Frederick Warne and Co., no date [circa 1907]. [Children's Illustrated] EARLY US EDITION. Sextodecimo (14 x 11cm), pp.85; [1]. With a chromolithographic illustration facing every page of text. Endpapers match plate III in Quinby; publisher's address given as 36 East 22d Street. Publisher's light brown paper-covered boards..... More
New York, NY: Frederick Warne and Co., no date [1904]. [Children's Illustrated] FIRST US EDITION. Sextodecimo (14 x 11cm), pp.85; [1]. With a chromolithographic illustration facing every page of text. Endpapers match plate II in Quinby; publisher's address given as 36 East 22d Street. Publisher's maroon paper-covered boards with white..... More