Beatrix Potter Popular Books

Beatrix Potter Biography & Facts

Helen Beatrix Potter ( BEE-ə-triks; 28 July 1866 – 22 December 1943) was an English writer, illustrator, natural scientist, and conservationist. She is best known for her children's books featuring animals, such as The Tale of Peter Rabbit, which was her first commercially published work in 1902. Her books, including 23 Tales, have sold more than 250 million copies. An entrepreneur, Potter was a pioneer of character merchandising. In 1903, Peter Rabbit was the first fictional character to be made into a patented stuffed toy, making him the oldest licensed character.Born into an upper-middle-class household, Potter was educated by governesses and grew up isolated from other children. She had numerous pets and spent holidays in Scotland and the Lake District, developing a love of landscape, flora and fauna, all of which she closely observed and painted. Potter's study and watercolours of fungi led to her being widely respected in the field of mycology. In her thirties, Potter self-published the highly successful children's book The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Following this, Potter began writing and illustrating children's books full-time. Potter wrote over sixty books, with the best known being her twenty-three children's tales. With the proceeds from the books and a legacy from an aunt, in 1905 Potter bought Hill Top Farm in Near Sawrey, a village in the Lake District. Over the following decades, she purchased additional farms to preserve the unique hill country landscape. In 1913, at the age of 47, she married William Heelis, a respected local solicitor with an office in Hawkshead. Potter was also a prize-winning breeder of Herdwick sheep and a prosperous farmer keenly interested in land preservation. She continued to write, illustrate, and design merchandise based on her children's books for British publisher Warne until the duties of land management and her diminishing eyesight made it difficult to continue.Potter died of pneumonia and heart disease on 22 December 1943 at her home in Near Sawrey at the age of 77, leaving almost all her property to the National Trust. She is credited with preserving much of the land that now constitutes the Lake District National Park. Potter's books continue to sell throughout the world in many languages with her stories being retold in songs, films, ballet, and animations, and her life is depicted in two films and a television series. Biography Early life Potter's family on both sides were from the Manchester area. They were English Unitarians, associated with dissenting Protestant congregations, influential in 19th century Britain, that affirmed the oneness of God and that rejected the doctrine of the Trinity. Potter's paternal grandfather, Edmund Potter, from Glossop in Derbyshire, owned what was then the largest calico printing works in England, and later served as a Member of Parliament.Potter's father, Rupert William Potter (1832–1914), was educated at Manchester College by the Unitarian philosopher James Martineau. He then trained as a barrister in London. Rupert practised law, specialising in equity law and conveyancing. He married Helen Leech (1839–1932) on 8 August 1863 at Hyde Unitarian Chapel, Gee Cross. Helen was the daughter of Jane Ashton (1806–1884) and John Leech, a wealthy cotton merchant and shipbuilder from Stalybridge. Helen's first cousins were siblings Harriet Lupton (née Ashton) and Thomas Ashton, 1st Baron Ashton of Hyde. It was reported in July 2014 that Potter had personally given a number of her own original hand-painted illustrations to the two daughters of Arthur and Harriet Lupton, who were cousins to both Beatrix Potter and Catherine, Princess of Wales. Potter's parents lived comfortably at 2 Bolton Gardens, West Brompton, London, where Helen Beatrix was born on 28 July 1866 and her brother Walter Bertram on 14 March 1872. The house was destroyed in the Blitz. Bousfield Primary School now stands where the house once was. A blue plaque on the school building testifies to the former site of the Potter home. Both parents were artistically talented, and Rupert was an adept amateur photographer. Rupert had invested in the stock market, and by the early 1890s, he was extremely wealthy.Beatrix Potter was educated by three governesses, the last of whom was Annie Moore (née Carter), just three years older than Potter, who tutored Potter in German as well as acting as lady's companion. She and Potter remained friends throughout their lives, and Annie's eight children were the recipients of many of Potter's picture letters. It was Annie who later suggested that these letters might make good children's books. She and her younger brother Walter Bertram (1872–1918) grew up with few friends outside their large extended family. Her parents were artistic, interested in nature, and enjoyed the countryside. As children, Potter and Bertram had numerous small animals as pets which they observed closely and drew endlessly. In their schoolroom, Potter and Bertram kept a variety of small pets—mice, rabbits, a hedgehog and some bats, along with collections of butterflies and other insects—which they drew and studied. Potter was devoted to the care of her small animals, often taking them with her on long holidays. In most of the first fifteen years of her life, Potter spent summer holidays at Dalguise, an estate on the River Tay in Perthshire, Scotland. There she sketched and explored an area that nourished her imagination and her observation. Her first sketchbook from those holidays, kept at age 8, and dated 1875, is held at and has been digitised by the Victoria & Albert Museum, London. Potter and her brother were allowed great freedom in the country, and both children became adept students of natural history. In 1882, when Dalguise was no longer available, the Potters took their first summer holiday in the Lake District, at Wray Castle near Lake Windermere. Here Potter met Hardwicke Rawnsley, vicar of Wray and later the founding secretary of the National Trust, whose interest in the countryside and country life inspired the same in Potter and who was to have a lasting impact on her life. At about the age of 14, Potter began to keep a diary, written in a simple substitution cipher of her own devising. Her Journal was important to the development of her creativity, serving as both sketchbook and literary experiment. In tiny handwriting, she reported on society, recorded her impressions of art and artists, recounted stories and observed life around her. The Journal, deciphered and transcribed by Leslie Linder in 1958, does not provide an intimate record of her personal life, but it is an invaluable source for understanding a vibrant part of British society in the late 19th century. It describes Potter's maturing artistic and intellectual interests, her often amusing insights into the places she visited, and her unusual ability to observe nature and to describe it. Started in 1881, her journal ends in 1897 when her artis.... Discover the Beatrix Potter popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Beatrix Potter books.

Best Seller Beatrix Potter Books of 2024

  • The Complete Works of Beatrix Potter synopsis, comments

    The Complete Works of Beatrix Potter

    Beatrix Potter

    Eartnow presents to you the complete books of Beatrix Potter with her original enchanting illustrations: The Tale of Peter Rabbit The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin The Tailor of Glouces...

  • Beatrix Potter synopsis, comments

    Beatrix Potter

    M. Daphne Kutzer

    Beatrix Potter was one of the inventors of the contemporary picture book, and her small novels published at the turn of the twentieth century are still available and popular today....

  • The Journal of Beatrix Potter from 1881 to 1897 synopsis, comments

    The Journal of Beatrix Potter from 1881 to 1897

    Beatrix Potter

    This ebook has been optimised for viewing on colour devices. Between the ages of 15 and 30 Beatrix Potter kept a secret diary written in code. When the code was cracked by Leslie L...

  • Two Bad Mice - Read Aloud Edition synopsis, comments

    Two Bad Mice - Read Aloud Edition

    Beatrix Potter

    Your preschooler will delight at the beautifully restored images and charming ReadAloud narration of this classic.   From the Series Preface: When I was three years old m...

  • The Tale of Briar Bank synopsis, comments

    The Tale of Briar Bank

    Susan Wittig Albert

    Near Sawrey, the seat of Miss Beatrix Potter?s country home, has been abuzz ever since Mr. Wickstead met his death under a tree limb. Many believe it had to do with a treasure he h...

  • Voices in the Park synopsis, comments

    Voices in the Park

    Anthony Browne

    Four different voices tell their own versions of the same walk in the park. The radically different perspectives give a fascinating depth to this simple story which explores many o...

  • Beatrix Potter synopsis, comments

    Beatrix Potter

    Andrew Norman

    An insightful biography of the pioneering conservationist, illustrator, prolific author, and creator of Peter Rabbit and other legendary tales.   Beatrix Potter was born curio...

  • Squirrel Nutkin - Read Aloud Edition synopsis, comments

    Squirrel Nutkin - Read Aloud Edition

    Beatrix Potter

    Your preschooler will delight at the beautifully restored images and charming ReadAloud narration of this classic.   From the Series Preface: When I was three years old m...

  • The Tale of Peter Rabbit synopsis, comments

    The Tale of Peter Rabbit

    Beatrix Potter

    "Now, my dears," said old Mrs Rabbit one morning, "you may go into the fields or down the lane, but don't go into Mr. McGregor's garden." Follow the story of naughty Peter Rabbit ...

  • The Tale of Samuel Whiskers synopsis, comments

    The Tale of Samuel Whiskers

    Beatrix Potter

    This book features the original text and fullcolor original Beatrix Potter art. Samuel Whiskers, the rat, thinks that Tom Kitten could be made into an excellent rolypoly pudding fo...

  • The Complete Tales of Beatrix Potter synopsis, comments

    The Complete Tales of Beatrix Potter

    Beatrix Potter

    The TwentyThree Tales THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT. THE TALE OF SQUIRREL NUTKIN. THE TAILOR OF GLOUCESTER. THE TALE OF BENJAMIN BUNNY. THE TALE OF TWO BAD MICE. THE TALE OF MRS. TIGGYW...

  • Steeped in Malice synopsis, comments

    Steeped in Malice

    Vicki Delany

    With a “beautifully described setting and a cast of charming, smalltown characters” (Booklist), this delightful cozy mystery series set in a Cape Cod tea shop will be irresistible ...

  • The Wednesday Daughters synopsis, comments

    The Wednesday Daughters

    Meg Waite Clayton

    In the tradition of Kristin Hannah and Karen Joy Fowler, Meg Waite Clayton, bestselling author of The Wednesday Sisters, returns with an enthralling new novel of mothers, daughters...

  • The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies - Read Aloud Edition synopsis, comments

    The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies - Read Aloud Edition

    Beatrix Potter

    Your preschooler will delight at the beautifully restored images and charming ReadAloud narration of this classic.   From the Series Preface: When I was three years old m...

  • The Complete Works of Beatrix Potter synopsis, comments

    The Complete Works of Beatrix Potter

    Beatrix Potter

    Helen Beatrix Potter (28 July 1866 – 22 December 1943) was an English writer, illustrator, natural scientist and conservationist; she was best known for her children's books featur...

  • The Tale of Oat Cake Crag synopsis, comments

    The Tale of Oat Cake Crag

    Susan Wittig Albert

    Miss Beatrix Potter has returned to Near Sawrey, where her friend Grace has been receiving anonymous letters that threaten her good name and her plans to marry. Beatrix must inve...

  • The Tale of Applebeck Orchard synopsis, comments

    The Tale of Applebeck Orchard

    Susan Wittig Albert

    After his haystack was torched, Mr. Harmsworth barricaded a common path through his orchard. But witnessesboth human and animalclaim a ghost perpetrated the deed. And the ghost has...

  • Revelations of Divine Love synopsis, comments

    Revelations of Divine Love

    Julian of Norwich & Dr Elizabeth Spearing

    Coming from a society where women were barred from serious writing and teaching, Julian, an anchorite of the great medieval city of Norwich, nevertheless uses her womanlines and th...

  • Appley Dapply - Read Aloud Edition synopsis, comments

    Appley Dapply - Read Aloud Edition

    Beatrix Potter

    Your preschooler will delight at the gentle animations and charming narration of this classic.  Award winning actress Emma Fielding reads Appley Dapply and other nursery rhyme...

  • Fierce Bad Rabbit - Read Aloud Edition synopsis, comments

    Fierce Bad Rabbit - Read Aloud Edition

    Beatrix Potter

    Your preschooler will delight at the beautifully restored images and charming ReadAloud narration of this classic.   From the Series Preface: When I was three years old m...

  • The Tale of Beatrix Potter synopsis, comments

    The Tale of Beatrix Potter

    Margaret Lane

    When Beatrix Potter died, few people knew the full story of her life. Margaret Lane's remarkable piece of literary detective work, originally published only three years after Beatr...

  • The Real Beatrix Potter synopsis, comments

    The Real Beatrix Potter

    Nadia Cohen

    A revealing and surprising biography of the woman who defied Victorian expectations and gave the world Peter Rabbit.   Beatrix Potter’s children’s books have enchanted generat...

  • A Celebration of Beatrix Potter synopsis, comments

    A Celebration of Beatrix Potter

    Beatrix Potter

    2016 marks the 150th birthday of Beatrix Potter, making it the perfect time to pay tribute to the beloved author/illustrator with A Celebration of Beatrix Potter!With illustri...

  • The Tale of Holly How synopsis, comments

    The Tale of Holly How

    Susan Wittig Albert

    Everyone in Sawrey likes Ben Hornby. So when Beatrix finds the shepherd dead in the meadow and suspects foul play, she wonders who would have done such a thing. A trio of village c...

  • The Complete Beatrix Potter synopsis, comments

    The Complete Beatrix Potter

    Beatrix Potter

    All TwentyTwo Beatrix Potter books in One Terrific Volume! The Complete Collection of Twenty Tales and Two Collections of Poetry. The works of Beatrix Potter have been adored all o...

  • The Uncanny synopsis, comments

    The Uncanny

    Sigmund Freud & David McLintock

    An extraordinary collection of thematically linked essays, including THE UNCANNY, SCREEN MEMORIES and FAMILY ROMANCES.Leonardo da Vinci fascinated Freud primarily because he was ke...

  • Tom Kitten - Read Aloud Edition synopsis, comments

    Tom Kitten - Read Aloud Edition

    Beatrix Potter

    Your preschooler will delight at the beautifully restored images and charming ReadAloud narration of this classic.   From the Series Preface: When I was three years old m...

  • The Shadow Sister synopsis, comments

    The Shadow Sister

    Lucinda Riley

    “Riley’s engaging and mesmerizing story of selfdiscovery and love...can be perfectly read as a standalone. This book will appeal to readers of Edwardian novels and Jane Austenstyle...

  • The Essential Works of Beatrix Potter synopsis, comments

    The Essential Works of Beatrix Potter

    Beatrix Potter

    The works of Beatrix Potter with an active table of contents. Works include:THE TALE OF PETER RABBITTHE TAILOR OF GLOUCESTERTHE TALE OF SQUIRREL NUTKINTHE TALE OF BENJAMIN BUNNYTHE...

  • Peter Rabbit - Read Aloud Edition synopsis, comments

    Peter Rabbit - Read Aloud Edition

    Beatrix Potter

    Your preschooler will delight at the beautifully restored images and charming ReadAloud narration of this classic.   From the Series Preface: When I was three years old m...

  • Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle - Read Aloud Edition synopsis, comments

    Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle - Read Aloud Edition

    Beatrix Potter

    Your preschooler will delight at the beautifully restored images and charming ReadAloud narration of this classic.   From the Series Preface: When I was three years old m...

  • The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck - Read Aloud Edition synopsis, comments

    The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck - Read Aloud Edition

    Beatrix Potter

    Your preschooler will delight at the beautifully restored images and charming ReadAloud narration of this classic.   From the Series Preface: When I was three years old m...

  • Beatrix Potter synopsis, comments

    Beatrix Potter

    Linda Lear

    In this remarkable biography, Linda Lear offers a new look at the extraordinary woman who gave us some of the most beloved children's books of all time. Potter found freedom from h...

  • Wild Things synopsis, comments

    Wild Things

    Bruce Handy

    An irresistible, nostalgic, insightfuland “consistently intelligent and funny” (The New York Times Book Review)ramble through classic children’s literature from Vanity Fair contrib...

  • Jeremy Fisher - Read Aloud Edition synopsis, comments

    Jeremy Fisher - Read Aloud Edition

    Beatrix Potter

    Your preschooler will delight at the beautifully restored images and charming ReadAloud narration of this classic.   From the Series Preface: When I was three years old m...

  • Beatrix Potter, Scientist synopsis, comments

    Beatrix Potter, Scientist

    Lindsay H. Metcalf

    A Mighty Girl's 2020 Books of the YearFriends of American Writers Chicago Winner 2021 Young People's Literature AwardBeatrix Potter was a writer, an artist, and a scientist too, an...