The Tale of BEATRIX POTTER - A Biography.

UK.small 8vo HB+dw/dj,illustrated,2nd reprint of rev'd edn. [originally and first published (UK),Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd.,1946.A revised UK edn in 1968 and then this 2nd reprint of that edn.] FINE/VG+. No owner inscrptn but a price-clip to dw/dj.Bright,crisp,clean,glossy,white background to spine/backstrip and front panel of dw/dj with 6 thumbnail colour pictorial animal characters' border edge illustrations and a red+yellow bordered oval vignette with subject's b/w portrait photograph to front panel of dw/dj,with red-lettered title and capitalised red-lettered author name; spine/backstrip with another 3 thumbnail colour pictorial illustrations of 3 different animal characters than the front's,similarly coloured+lettered title as front, but other red-lettered author name and publisher's capitalised red-lettered part name (WARNE),to foot of same,rear panel with a contemporary b/w portrait of author with potted biography caption. Negligible shelf-wear,bumping,creasing to edges and corners – head of spine/backstrip of dw/dj with an internal and external sellotape strenghtening repair to closed tears to each gutter's fold/crease - but no other major nicks,tears or splits present.Front panel of dw/dj with a superficial, 3-letter word DAW,writing impression but without any penetration to board beneath.Top edges coloured a soft, pale green,fore-edges clean with minimal ageing/toning and without any foxing/spotting; contents bright,tight, clean,solid and sound - virtually pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corner tips,appears unread, other than my own collation.Publisher's bright,clean,sharp- cornered,original plain light green cloth boards with bright,crisp,blocked gilt lettered spine/backstrip,and immaculate plain white endpapers. UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn,7-174pp [paginated] includes the author's Acknowledgements,separate Contents & Illustrations lists/tables,8 chapters,21 contemporary b/w subject+ familial biographical photographs (includes frntis),subject's b/w+colour illustrations - 8 colour,10 b/w -includes b/w facsimile reproduction illustrations of code writings,a letter,a picture letter and original manuscript throughout the text and the book,an Appendix - a list of 46 titles by Potter; plus [unpaginated] half-title,subject aged 10's b/w portrait photographic frntis,title page,a dedication with blank reverse,an Index and to the rear,2pp blanks. Visually the exterior appearance is more than acceptable, and particularly internally,the book is in an exceptional condition/state of preservation and presentation for a book of its 50+ year-old age. It is only the minor exterior fault described that prevents a slightly higher overall grading for the dw/dj. Despite that,it really is still an exceptional,exemplary copy for its internal cleanliness and brightness. Few lives have been more jealously hidden from the public eye than Beatrix Potter's. Even in old age,when she had long been famous,and the children of two generations had been brought up on Peter Rabbit and her other nursery masterpieces,she preferred to remain unknown, and behind her everyday character of a Lakeland farmer - crusty,humorous,locally formidable - to conceal the artist. When she died in December 1943 no one,not even her husband,knew the whole story of her life.Her lonely Victorian childhood,her struggles for independence,her unhappy love-affair and happy marriage,the accidental influences that developed her genius,are told here in detail by Margaret Lane,with the addition of much new material that has come to light since the biography was first written. The accidental discovery of Beatrix Potter's secret code journal in 1952,its long study and eventual decoding by Mr Leslie Linder (The Journal of Beatrix Potter,published in 1966,the year of her centenary) have added valuable new material to what is now a full and definitive biography.) Please contact seller,because of the lighter weight and the value of this item,for correct,insured shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page! N.B. ALL buyers please note,that stocks' actual shipping/P+p costs are adjusted and any difference is refunded,after order's receipt and before the order's despatch,especially if the item(s) are offered either P+p included/FREE. ** N.B. US/Canada customers please be aware: Standard AIRMAIL postage from UK to these destinations can now cost more than the price of any inexpensive book! If speed is not of the essence,then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. anything from a 1/3rd to 1/2 of the standard US AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always. **