An informal history of Beatrix Potter's published and unpublished books and letters. It tells how each of the Peter Rabbit tales came to be written, includes Potter's unpublished works, and letters. It includes useful appendices on identifying first editions of the Peter Rabbit series.

Out of print.

From the publisher:

In this detailed and authoritative book, Leslie Linder not only tells the tale behind the Tales – the history of how each book in the famous Peter Rabbit series began to be written – he also reveals a wealth of Beatrix Potter's writing which is not published in any other form elsewhere.

The Tale of Kitty-in-Boots, for example, concerns a little black cat, who, to quote Beatrix Potter, 'goes out hunting with a little gun on moonlight nights'. The Tale of the Birds and Mr. Tod was to be a collection of Aesop's fables re-written in the inimitable Potter style; three stories are quoted, one, The Fox and the Stork, with its complete set of illustrations. The Oakmen was originally written for her niece Nancy, who imagined these little elfin characters living in oak trees. There's also an intriguing tale about Ribby and Duchess (who are by no means as respectable as they appear in The Tale of The Pie and The Patty-Pan), an unfinished sequel to The Fairy Caravan, and several fairy stories, among them Beatrix's own version of Cinderella and Red Riding Hood.

Beatrix Potter's letters are featured here too. The correspondence between Frederick Warne and their best-selling author provides a fascinating commentary on the stories she wrote, and an insight into her character. She was very particular about her writing, often revising the same story until it was to her satisfaction; several of these versions are quoted, including the privately printed edition of The Tailor of Gloucester. There are unpublished Appley Dapply rhymes, plays and Beatrix Potter's text for the painting books. Lesser known books, Sister Anne, a surprisingly gruesome tale about Bluebeard, and The Tale of the Faithful Dove, and two delightful versions of Wag-by-Wall are discussed. She occasionally wrote articles for newspapers, and one year she even tried her hand at politics. Fourteen picture letters are also reproduced, amongst them the Peter Rabbit picture letter to Noel Moore, which started it all.

This new edition of Leslie Linder's classic work has been thoroughly revised to take account of the latest information and publishing history of Beatrix Potter's writings. An important feature is the new and interesting selection of illustrations in colour and black and white, which includes several items that have never been published before.