This Day in History December 16, 1901

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I was pretty excited to post this one because I have actually visited the Beatrix Potter museum in England. And it just so happens that on this date in 1901, Beatrix Potter published The Tale of Peter Rabbit.  I am absolutely amazed that Potter herself financed the publishing of 250 copies since no publisher would accept her manuscript.  She sold them for a penny or less, and within a few weeks, she needed 200 more copies.  Within a year, a major publisher picked up her book, and 8,000 copies were published.

Today, more than 40 million copies have been sold worldwide, and the beloved book has been translated into almost every language.  To show the significance of this book, let me share a couple financial facts.  The traditionally published 1902 edition is worth $20,000 while the first edition of her self-published 1901 edition will bring at least $70,000 in an upcoming auction.

I was privileged to visit the World of Beatrix Potter in the Lake District of England back in 2006. I do have some pictures, but I do not have them on this computer.  If I think about it, I will try to add some pictures later.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  It is hard to believe that a publishing company would ever turn down one of her books!

For more information, check out these wonderful links:
http://literarycornercafe.blogspot.com/2010/12/today-in-literary-history-beatrix.html
http://www.todayinliterature.com/stories.asp?Event_Date=12/16/1901
http://www.watkissonline.co.uk/wordpress/?p=450