The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1902)

Frederick Warne published the first trade edition of The Tale of Peter Rabbit in October 1902, after Beatrix Potter's two private printings. The first printing of 8,000 copies had sold out before publication, and Warne reprinted twice more before the end of the year.

The key test is on page 51. The first three Warne printings read wept big tears; from the fourth printing of April 1903 it reads shed big tears. If your copy says shed, it is 1903 or later.

That test has a limit: the first three printings are identical inside, so wept big tears tells you the copy is from 1902 but not which of the three 1902 printings it is. Dealers who claim a first printing on that point alone are overstating it.

What else to check:

• Binding: grey or brown paper boards with a colour picture of Peter, in his blue jacket, laid onto the front board, and white lettering.
• Endpapers: a leaf pattern in early copies. From late 1903 the endpapers changed and four illustrations were dropped to make room.

Some copies were bound in cloth with the top edge gilt as a deluxe issue. Sources disagree about its cloth colours.

Early Peter Rabbits were read by children, so expect wear to the boards and onlay. A clean copy with a bright onlay is uncommon.

Sources: the V&A, ILAB, Christie's, Jonkers and John Atkinson Books.