When the eldest of the Moore children, Noel, fell ill with scarlet fever in 1893, Beatrix sent him a letter describing the adventures of a naughty rabbit named Peter. Beatrix later had the idea of turning this story into a book. When the story, with its black and white illustrations, was rejected by six publishers, she decided to print it privately. An edition of 250 copies was issued in December 1901, and proved so successful that a further 200 copies were issued in February 1902.
Frederick Warne & Company ultimately reconsidered, and on the condition that Beatrix provide colour illustrations, a commercial edition of The Tale of Peter Rabbit was published in October 1902. It was an immediate success, selling 50,000 copies in just over a year. Since that time, it has never been out of print.
While Beatrix honed her business acumen (she played a critical role in the production and promotion of her books), she remained a steadfast observer of the physical world, amassing many studies and sketches of her natural surroundings. These studies and sketches - many made in the Lake District - formed the pictorial basis of her imaginative tales.
Lakeland
Beatrix first visited the Lake District at the age of 16 when her father rented Wray Castle on the shore of Lake Windermere for the family’s long summer holiday. This visit introduced Beatrix to the lakeland scenery that would become the setting and inspiration for so much of her best-loved work.
The family returned to the Lake District for their holidays in subsequent years, staying in various large country houses around Keswick, Windermere and Sawrey. It was while staying at Lingholm on the shore of Derwentwater in 1901 that Beatrix was inspired with the idea for her first Lake District book, The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin.