The Story of Miss Moppet.

A very good example of The Story of Miss Moppet, the second of two panoramic format titles by Beatrix Potter, aimed at younger children and issued for Christmas. Beatrix Potter had planned three books in this format, the first being The Story of a Fierce Bad Rabbit (1906) with The Sly Old Cat to follow last, but after The Story of Miss Moppet it was decided to drop this form, 'the shops sensibly refused to stock them because they got unrolled and so bad to fold up again' (Linder, p. 183). The Story of a Fierce Bad Rabbit and The Story of Miss Moppet were subsequently reissued in the more standard format for Potter's books in 1916, but The Sly Old Cat was not published until 1971, almost thirty years after her death.

First edition, first printing (with 'London & New York' stamped to lower cover); 16mo panoramic format (95 x 115 mm. folded); title and copyright page printed in white on mottled pale grey/green paper with plain vignette, 14 colour illustrations by the author with facing text all mounted onto concertina-style linen sheet as issued, some very faint spotting to first page of text and the odd minor, small mark, all to blank margins, otherwise very good and bright; publisher's sage green cloth blocked in dark green with inset colour illustration, a little soiled and worn but again, very good and sound.

Quinby 11; Linder pp.183 & 426; Taylor, Whalley, Hobbs, Battrick pp.129-130