New York: Frederick Warne & Co., [1912]. First American edition. Original tan boards decoratively stamped and lettered in dark brown on front cover within a brown single rule border and decoratively stamped and lettered in brown on spine. Large color pictorial label on front cover within a blind rectangular panel surrounded by a broad brown single rule border. Color pictorial endpapers (Quinby Plate XI). 93, [1]. Color frontispiece and fourteen color plates (included in pagination). Black and white vignette on title-page and forty-one black and white vignettes in the text. The absolute bare minimum of rubbing to board extremities. A near fine copy in the original (chipped and torn) glassine wrapper.

"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.

Quinby 21a. Linder, p. 429 (UK edition). (Item #3703)