Potter (Beatrix). The Tailor of Gloucester, 1st privately printed edition, [Strangeways], 1902

Potter (Beatrix). The Tailor of Gloucester, 1st privately printed edition, [Strangeways], December 1902, colour frontispiece and fifteen colour plates, plain endpapers, occasional light spotting, original pink boards, upper cover with printed lettering and vignette of three mice sewing, rounded spine, backstrip slightly faded, boards faintly spotted, 16moAmendment: Please note the dust jacket is not original and is later.QTY: (1)NOTE:Linder p. 420; Quinby 3. Rare and in excellent condition. Only 500 copies printed.The story of the Tailor of Gloucester was first told in a letter from Beatrix to Freda Moore, daughter of her former governess, Annie Carter. Although Frederick Warne had taken up Beatrix's 'Bunny Book', as they referred to 'Peter Rabbit', and published it in October 1902, the author felt that they might not wish to publish a second book so soon, or that they might want to alter it too much. So she returned to Strangeways, the original printers of 'Peter Rabbit', and herself paid for a private edition of 500 copies to be printed. The book differs considerably in both text and illustration from Warne's later edition of 1903. Of all her books 'The Tailor of Gloucester' remained Beatrix Potter's own favourite.The text of this privately printed edition is substantially longer than in the published edition, as Frederick Warne insisted on cuts to the text. 'Evidently, with some regret, Beatrix Potter crossed through the eight or nine pages of text where she had described in detail how Simpkin wandered through the streets of Gloucester on the night of Christmas Eve, where all the animals were talking, and the carol singers were singing. This is the part of the story which contains the majority of her rhymes and verses - but Warnes had asked for 'cuts'!' (Linder, A History of the Writings of Beatrix Potter, (1971), page 117).