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Library | Material Type | Call Number | Child Count | Shelf Location | Status | Item Holds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... Branch | Juvenile Book | J B POTTER | 1 | Juvenile Biography | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
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Reviews (4)
Kirkus Review
Edited by Potter scholar Taylor, here are approximately 400 letters by the famed children's author, the collection handsomely illustrated with facsimile reproductions; many of Potter's sketches for The Tale of Peter Rabbit and other Potter classics; and b&w and color photographs. Arranged chronologically, the letters (dated 1883 to 1943) give, in addition to much detail about Potter's personal and business life, glimpses of the great global upheavals that took place during her life (""The question of food rather swamps all other plans at present! and you have the added trouble of these cruel raids,"" she writes in a letter dated Feb. 1, 1918). For the most part, though, the letters will interest primarily hard-core Potter fans, dealing with minutiae that, as Taylor mentions in her introduction, ""should keep members of The Beatrix Potter Society busy for many long winter evenings. . .Was the rabbit shop mentioned in the letter to Millie of 13 December 1911 one of the moveable toys that Beatrix made for children or was it that year's Christmas card? Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Increasing interest on both sides of the Atlantic in the life of Beatrix Potter has resulted in the publication of these two fully illustrated, well-documented books. In the Letters, Judy Taylor--whose biography, Beatrix Potter: Artist, Storyteller and Countrywoman [BKL Ap 1 87], opened new insights into the life and work of the famous British author and artist--has unearthed numerous correspondence to and from Potter in archives, private collections, and desk drawers. From the more than 1,400 pieces collected, she chose 400--including the famous picture letter that was the genesis for The Tale of Peter Rabbit--spanning the years from Potter's childhood to a week before her death in 1943. The Journal is a restoration of the full text that Potter scholar Leslie Linder originally decoded in 1958. Taylor offers a new foreword, while H. L. Cox's "An Appreciation," from the first edition, has been eliminated. In addition, there is an eight-page insert of pictures from the original volume, though they have been inexplicably reduced. Nevertheless, these editorial infelicities don't hamper the enjoyment that both scholars and browsers will experience in perusing the new material offered about Peter Rabbit's creator. --Barbara Elleman
Choice Review
Judy Taylor has selected about 400 letters "to allow Beatrix Potter to tell her own story in her own words, with as few interruptions as possible." Although these letters create a biography of Potter the woman, they will disappoint those looking for insights into Potter the artist. As a letter writer, Potter is not among the greats. In fact, much of this book is tedious because Potter heaps together mundane or oppressively practical topics that are of concern only to her correspondents: weather conditions, financial arrangements, marketing ideas for dolls and tea sets, farming matters, maintenance of National Trust properties. Furthermore, Potter's artistic concerns are limited to reproduction of colors and, occasionally, word choice or punctuation. Fewer letters and more annotations would have improved the collection. Because the most important letters are available elsewhere, this is not an essential acquisition, but many libraries, academic or public, will find this beautifully produced book desirable. Containing the widest range of Potter letters available, including all of the frequently quoted ones, it provides unpublished sketches, photographic reproductions of her famous illustrated letters, and color plates not otherwise readily accessible. -R. E. Jones, University of Alberta
Library Journal Review
From more than 1400 extant letters, Taylor has chosen 400 that range over the whole course of Potter's life. Drawings are reproduced on nearly every other page, the famous ``picture letters'' are printed in facsimile, and a few pages of color plates appear. Naturally, much of the correspondence concerns her books and their illustrations, and even a casual reader will be struck by her intense involvement in their publication. Politics, farm, and family business also enter the letters, bringing fascinating glimpses of war and social change even in the countryside. Potter's love of nature is everywhere apparent, but on other aspects of her emotional life the letters are mostly silent. Taylor's linking annotations make this book a satisfying complement to her Beatrix Potter (Warne, 1986) and to the reissue of The Journal of Beatrix Potter (Viking, 1990), revised to include some material (jokes and comments about church affairs) omitted from the 1966 edition.-- Patricia Dooley, Univ. of Washington Lib. Sch., Seattle (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.