“There is something delicious about writing the first words of a story. You never quite know where they'll take you.”
– Beatrix Potter
Potter, born in 1866, wrote and illustrated The
Tale of Peter Rabbit, self-published in 1901 for herself, family and
close friends. But those who read and
saw it urged her to do more and in 1902 a 3-color edition was published by
Frederick Warne & Company.
Although the book obviously should
have been published for all to see, her editor Norman Warne had a bit of an
ulterior motive, since he hoped Beatrix would be enticed to marry him.
Unfortunately, Warne developed leukemia and died before they could wed.
She
married William Heelis in her later years and together they purchased a large farm in
Lancashire where she became a prize-winning breeder of Herdwick sheep
and a prosperous farmer keenly interested in land preservation. She continued
to write and illustrate, and to design spin-off merchandise based on her
more than two dozen children's books published by Warne.
Beatrix Potter
and her most famous creation Peter
Potter died 1943 willing
most of her property to the National Trust.
Much of the land comprises the Lake District National Preserve, which
includes a replica of Farmer McGregor’s Garden and small statues of Flopsy,
Mopsy, Cottontail and, of course, Peter.
No comments:
Post a Comment