The Tale of Benjamin Bunny

London and New York: Frederick Warne & Co, 1905. First edition. Third printing (March 1905). Twelvemo ( 5 7/16 x 4 1/16 in; 138 x 105 mm). Original gray boards lettered in green with color pictorial label on front cover, ruled and lettered in dark green on front cover and lettered in dark green on spine. Small crack at bottom of lower joint, slight rubbing to extremities. 84, [1], [1, printer's imprint]. Color frontispiece and twenty-six color plates. Black and white vignette on title-page. Quinby Plate II endpapers as called for. A very good copy, internally fine.

"Beatrix Potter, writer of some of the most beloved children's books of all time, was a woman of immense talent, indefatigable spirit, and a generous heart...Although she grew up in London, she was deeply influenced by long family holidays in the countryside, first in Scotland and later in the English lake district. As was the custom in families of her class, she was educated at home by governesses. An eager student of languages and literature, she grew up loving classic folk and fairy tales...Her talent for drawing and painting was discovered early and encouraged" (Beatrix Potter Society). Her career began with the release of the now-beloved Tale of Peter Rabbit; and her subsequent works expanded into a magical world of anthropomorphic animals such as Tom Kitten, Squirrel Nutkin, and Benjamin Bunny.

There were three printings of the first edition of The Tale of Benjamin Bunny. The first printing was of 20,0000 copies in September 1904, the second printing was of 10,000 copies in October 1904, and the third printing was of 7,500 copies in March 1905. The first two printings have the date "1904" on the title-page whilst the third printing does not.

Quinby 6. Linder, p. 424. V & A 1581.