Click for full-size.
The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck.
by POTTER, Beatrix
- Used
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
London, London, United Kingdom
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
London, Frederick Warne, [Circa 1912]. . 16mo; inscribed on half-title and front and rear endpapers by Annie Maria Harris née Armitt; colour illustrations throughout, one leaf with vertical crease to right-hand side; publisher's green boards with inset rectangular panel to upper cover, pictorial endpapers, front free endpaper rubbed with slight surface loss to fore-margin, spine faded.
Inscribed on the front free endpaper: 'Mary Mackenzie from Mrs. Stanford Harris, Rydal Cottage, August 1912' and with six stanzas of verse by Annie Harris née Armitt on the front free endpaper and rear endpapers, beginning 'In memory of Rydal/Where Mary lived awhile...', initialled 'A.M.H' on both pastedowns; the half-title additionally inscribed 'I think Jemima Puddle/Was a very foolish duck;/She made a wretched muddle,/And scarce deserved her luck. A.M.H.'
Annie Maria Armitt (1850-1933), one of three gifted and well-educated sisters, was a novelist, poet, short story writer, and essayist. Unusually for the time Mr Armitt wanted to give his talented daughters a first class education, but in 1867 this plan went awry when their father died suddenly leaving the trio facing severe financial difficulties. Undaunted however, together they opened a school in Eccles, Lancashire, which thrived, allowing them to travel and continue their own studies.
In 1912 the youngest sister, Mary Louisa, founded The Armitt Library, now known as The Armitt, a museum, library and gallery, devoted to preserving and sharing the cultural heritage of the Lake District. Beatrix Potter was one of the Armitt's earliest supporters, and the collection holds a number of her family's books, her own first edition copies of her books, and a large number of botanical watercolours by her. Annie Armitt married Stanford Harris in 1877 and went to live near Hawkshead in the Lake District. In 1882 Mary and Sophia received a substantial legacy and in 1894 they moved to Rydal, where they lived with Annie, now widowed, for the rest of their lives. Here the sisters enjoyed socialising with a large circle of distinguished friends, including John Ruskin as well as Beatrix Potter.
'Jemima Puddle-Duck is her poem about [Hill Top Farm] itself, and anyone who is curious to reconstruct its exact appearance in those days can do so from the pictures in that book ' (Margaret Lane). Another of the author's most famous creations, Jemima Puddle-Duck, with her naive & trusting nature, was based on a real duck from Hill Top Farm, and proved immensely popular, spin-off merchandise including a Jemima painting book and illustrated fabric placemats hand-fashioned by Potter and distributed to friends. Critically, the book is considered one of Potter's best.
For the first edition of 1908 see Linder, p.427; Quinby 14.
Inscribed on the front free endpaper: 'Mary Mackenzie from Mrs. Stanford Harris, Rydal Cottage, August 1912' and with six stanzas of verse by Annie Harris née Armitt on the front free endpaper and rear endpapers, beginning 'In memory of Rydal/Where Mary lived awhile...', initialled 'A.M.H' on both pastedowns; the half-title additionally inscribed 'I think Jemima Puddle/Was a very foolish duck;/She made a wretched muddle,/And scarce deserved her luck. A.M.H.'
Annie Maria Armitt (1850-1933), one of three gifted and well-educated sisters, was a novelist, poet, short story writer, and essayist. Unusually for the time Mr Armitt wanted to give his talented daughters a first class education, but in 1867 this plan went awry when their father died suddenly leaving the trio facing severe financial difficulties. Undaunted however, together they opened a school in Eccles, Lancashire, which thrived, allowing them to travel and continue their own studies.
In 1912 the youngest sister, Mary Louisa, founded The Armitt Library, now known as The Armitt, a museum, library and gallery, devoted to preserving and sharing the cultural heritage of the Lake District. Beatrix Potter was one of the Armitt's earliest supporters, and the collection holds a number of her family's books, her own first edition copies of her books, and a large number of botanical watercolours by her. Annie Armitt married Stanford Harris in 1877 and went to live near Hawkshead in the Lake District. In 1882 Mary and Sophia received a substantial legacy and in 1894 they moved to Rydal, where they lived with Annie, now widowed, for the rest of their lives. Here the sisters enjoyed socialising with a large circle of distinguished friends, including John Ruskin as well as Beatrix Potter.
'Jemima Puddle-Duck is her poem about [Hill Top Farm] itself, and anyone who is curious to reconstruct its exact appearance in those days can do so from the pictures in that book ' (Margaret Lane). Another of the author's most famous creations, Jemima Puddle-Duck, with her naive & trusting nature, was based on a real duck from Hill Top Farm, and proved immensely popular, spin-off merchandise including a Jemima painting book and illustrated fabric placemats hand-fashioned by Potter and distributed to friends. Critically, the book is considered one of Potter's best.
For the first edition of 1908 see Linder, p.427; Quinby 14.
Synopsis
To celebrate Peter's birthday, Frederick Warne is publishing new editions of all 23 of Potter's original tales, which take the very first printings of Potter's works as their guide. The aim of these editions is to be as close as possible to Beatrix Potter's intentions while benefiting from modern printing and design techniques. The colors and details of the watercolors in the volumes are reproduced more accurately than ever before, and it has now been possible to disguise damage that has affected the artwork over the years. Most notably, The Tale of Peter Rabbit restores six of Potter's original illustrations. Four were sacrificed in 1903 to make space for illustrated endpapers, and two have never been used before. Of course, Beatrix Potter created many memorable children's characters, including Benjamin Bunny, Tom Kitten, Jemima Puddle-duck and Jeremy Fisher. But whatever the tale, both children and adults alike can be delighted by the artistry in Potter's illustrations, while they also enjoy a very good read. Because they have always been completely true to a child's experience, Potter's 23 books continue to endure.
Reviews
(Log in or Create an Account first!)
Details
- Bookseller
- Shapero Rare Books
(GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 106905
- Title
- The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck.
- Author
- POTTER, Beatrix
- Book Condition
- Used
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Place of Publication
- London, Frederick Warne, [Circa 1912].
Terms of Sale
Shapero Rare Books
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
Shapero Rare Books
Biblio member since 2020
London, London
About Shapero Rare Books
Specialising in rare books on Travel & Voyages, Natural History, Literature (including modern first editions), Children's Books, Guide Books, Judaica & Hebraica, titles of Russian interest, and Islamica.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Inscribed
- When a book is described as being inscribed, it indicates that a short note written by the author or a previous owner has been...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
Frequently asked questions
This Book’s Categories
Collecting Dr. Seuss
Whether you are into the pricey first editions or interesting Seussiana ephemera, this is a good starting point for building a book collection based on Dr. Seuss.
Cleaning and repairing leather books
Wondering how to take care of the leather books in your collection? Renowned book care expert Bern Marcowitz explains how and when to clean and repair leather books.
