Book Title
The Tale of Benjamin Bunny By Beatrix Potter
 
Publication Details
Author: Beatrix Potter (1866–1943)
Illustrator: Beatrix Potter
Publisher: Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd., London and New York
Date: Circa 1917–early 1930s
Format: Small illustrated children’s book
Pages: 85 pages
Dimensions: 14.2 × 10.9 × 1.2 cm
Weight: 143 g
Printing: Printed in Great Britain
 
Binding & Exterior Features
Bound in publisher’s original paper-covered boards (sometimes described as vellum over boards).
Front cover with oval colour illustration of Benjamin Bunny.
Green titles to front and spine.
Publisher imprint F. Warne & Co. Ltd. at bottom of front cover, confirming the printing must postdate 1917 when the company formally became a limited company.
Cover intact and robust, with some light rubbing, small marks, and gentle wear consistent with age.
 
Interior Features
Colour illustrated endpapers and pastedowns depicting Potter’s beloved animal characters.
Title page with black and white illustration.
Numerous full-page colour illustrations throughout, characteristic of Warne’s classic printings.
Pages bright and clean for age, generally uncreased.
Small patches of rubbing at edge of front free endpaper and inner margin of half-title and adjacent page (not affecting text).
Inscription in pen: “Nicholas from Daddy Xmas 1941.” on the half-title page.
Small pencil marking on front pastedown.
All 85 pages present.
Secure binding; no loose gatherings.
 
Condition Summary
Exterior: Solid and attractive, with light rubbing and small marks.
Interior: Clean and bright with minimal wear; neat inscription and light pencil.
Overall: A well-preserved early 20th-century copy of this much-loved tale.
 
Historical & Collectible Context
The Tale of Benjamin Bunny was first published in 1904, following the immense success of The Tale of Peter Rabbit. This sequel features Peter Rabbit with his cousin Benjamin Bunny in an adventurous return to Mr. McGregor’s garden.
 
This copy dates from circa 1917–early 1930s, identifiable by the publisher imprint “F. Warne & Co. Ltd.” (used only after the firm was incorporated in 1917) and the style of the decorated endpapers. These features distinguish it from the true first edition of 1904 and later mid-century printings, placing it firmly in the interwar period.
 
While not a first edition, it is an early and highly desirable printing, still retaining the Edwardian charm of the series’ original format. Collectors value these early Ltd. issues for their quality of illustration, period character, and scarcity in well-preserved condition.
 
Bibliographic Notes (Edition Points)
Publisher imprint: “F. Warne & Co. Ltd.” (post-1917; earlier 1904–1917 copies read simply “F. Warne & Co.”).
Cover illustration: Oval pictorial panel of Benjamin Bunny on front cover, with green titles (as issued in early printings).
Endpapers: Decorative colour endpapers with Beatrix Potter character vignettes, consistent with 1917–early 1930s issues.
Size & format: Small format consistent with original Warne editions (14.2 × 10.9 cm).
No dust jacket present (as often the case with copies from this period).
These points confirm this copy as a genuine interwar edition and help avoid the frequent misattribution of later copies as “1904 editions.”