When Peter Rabbit stamps . . .

‘The bride is a successful exhibitor at local agricultural shows of short-horn cattle and her name is known now all over the country for those charming books for children …’ Thus the Westmorland Gazette announced the marriage of Beatrix Potter and William Heelis in 1913. Beatrix would have concurred with the Gazette’s sense of priorities. Though she took pride and pleasure in her ‘little books’ and defended their merit — ‘There is more in the books than mere funniness’ — one feels that she would have relished being the first woman president of the Herdwick Sheep Breeders’ Association more than her acclaim as a best-selling author.

Linda Lear’s solid biography is even-handed in its treatment of Potter’s achievements as author, artist, farmer and conservationist. She points out that if Potter had been born male she could have been an expert in archaeology, botany, ornithology, mycology, geology, entomology and more. The story of Potter’s oppressed girlhood is well known.