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The Tale of Beatrix Potter: A Biography
When Beatrix Potter died, few people knew the full story of her life. Margaret Lane's remarkable piece of literary detective work, originally published only three years after Beatrix's death, told her story for the first time.
200 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1946
54 people are currently reading
886 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Lane
89 books10 followersMargaret Winifred Lane (June 23, 1907 – February 14, 1994) was a British journalist, biographer and novelist, the author of more than two dozen books. She was the second wife of Francis Hastings, 16th Earl of Huntingdon.
She was the mother of writer Selina Hastings.
Lane was highly educated, attending St. Stephen's College and St. Hugh's College, Oxford.
After university, she worked as a reporter for the Daily Express from 1928 - 1931, and then as a special correspondent for the International News Service from 1931 - 1932. While there, she interviewed the gangster Al Capone.
From 1932 - 1938, she was a journalist for the Daily Mail, where she was the UK's highest paid woman journalist at the time.
Lane wrote two biographies of Beatrix Potter, The Tale of Beatrix Potter: a Biography in 1946, and The Magic Years of Beatrix Potter in 1978.
In 1984, the BBC produced a two-part television dramatisation of Potter's life based on Lane's books.
Lane wrote more than two dozen books, including novels, travelogues, and children's books.
She was the mother of writer Selina Hastings.
Lane was highly educated, attending St. Stephen's College and St. Hugh's College, Oxford.
After university, she worked as a reporter for the Daily Express from 1928 - 1931, and then as a special correspondent for the International News Service from 1931 - 1932. While there, she interviewed the gangster Al Capone.
From 1932 - 1938, she was a journalist for the Daily Mail, where she was the UK's highest paid woman journalist at the time.
Lane wrote two biographies of Beatrix Potter, The Tale of Beatrix Potter: a Biography in 1946, and The Magic Years of Beatrix Potter in 1978.
In 1984, the BBC produced a two-part television dramatisation of Potter's life based on Lane's books.
Lane wrote more than two dozen books, including novels, travelogues, and children's books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
January 28, 2021
🐈🐑🐁🐿️🦔🦉🐇🦇🐔
The works of Beatrix Potter were a fixture in my childhood. In reading this biography I learned I haven't read all of her books, but I've come pretty close!
Her life is an interesting one, simple and extraordinary at the same time. The first few decades of her life were in many ways uneventful, as she was limited in what she was able to do, essentially chained to her parents. Her writing eventually brought her some independence, but it took her a very long time to stand up for herself - - her need to be a dutiful daughter was frustrating at times, as she could have had the life she wanted much earlier, but she got there in the end!
Her focus on writing and painting lessened after her marriage, but it was replaced by another life she had always wanted to lead, that of a wife and a farmer. Her writing paved the way for that but she seemed content to leave Beatrix Potter behind and be Mrs. Heelis instead. I think at this point in her life her reality became something she actually enjoyed and she didn't need her imaginary world as much.
Her animal companions are my favourite to read about - mice, hedgehogs, cats, owls, chickens, even bats. She used to travel with them whenever she went away with her family. Obviously so much of her writing was centered around them, and the combination of her pets and the stories she wrote about them seemed at times to be the only things she really had in her life that were her own. She struggled with ill health and bouts of depression, hardly surprising given she was hardly allowed to do anything for herself. Her parents kept her from marriage, limited her hobbies at times, and made her career difficult. They seemed determined to keep her with them, which I found confusing. At times I wished she would go and live with her brother, or a friend, but that wasn't how things worked back then.
It took her many decades to find her footing in the world, but there is something comforting in the fact that she managed it in the end, and that she enjoyed the life she had dreamed of just as much as she had hoped she would.
The works of Beatrix Potter were a fixture in my childhood. In reading this biography I learned I haven't read all of her books, but I've come pretty close!
Her life is an interesting one, simple and extraordinary at the same time. The first few decades of her life were in many ways uneventful, as she was limited in what she was able to do, essentially chained to her parents. Her writing eventually brought her some independence, but it took her a very long time to stand up for herself - - her need to be a dutiful daughter was frustrating at times, as she could have had the life she wanted much earlier, but she got there in the end!
Her focus on writing and painting lessened after her marriage, but it was replaced by another life she had always wanted to lead, that of a wife and a farmer. Her writing paved the way for that but she seemed content to leave Beatrix Potter behind and be Mrs. Heelis instead. I think at this point in her life her reality became something she actually enjoyed and she didn't need her imaginary world as much.
Her animal companions are my favourite to read about - mice, hedgehogs, cats, owls, chickens, even bats. She used to travel with them whenever she went away with her family. Obviously so much of her writing was centered around them, and the combination of her pets and the stories she wrote about them seemed at times to be the only things she really had in her life that were her own. She struggled with ill health and bouts of depression, hardly surprising given she was hardly allowed to do anything for herself. Her parents kept her from marriage, limited her hobbies at times, and made her career difficult. They seemed determined to keep her with them, which I found confusing. At times I wished she would go and live with her brother, or a friend, but that wasn't how things worked back then.
It took her many decades to find her footing in the world, but there is something comforting in the fact that she managed it in the end, and that she enjoyed the life she had dreamed of just as much as she had hoped she would.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 21, 2019
This was almost the antithesis to the BP biography by Linda Lear. Where Lear’s biography is detailed and unsentimental, Lane’s is highly opinionated and questionably factual. But I really enjoyed the narrative feel to the biography and Lane’s whimsical writing style. Overall this helped round out my recent Beatrix Potter binge!
March 18, 2009
After watching the wonderful movie "Miss Potter" starring Renee Zellweger, I had to read this 1946 biography of Beatrix Potter written right after her death at age 77. It was published by the same company -- Frederick Warne & Co., Inc. -- that published her famous children's books. I was pleased to discover that the movie was fairly true to real life, especially in the romance with Norman Warne, though their engagement and his death took place later in their lives than in the movie -- they were both almost 40.
The book also reveals the amount of detail that went into her drawings, and she was meticulous about authenticity of detail and color. In "The Tailor of Gloucester," for instance, she sketched from clothing at the Victoria and Albert museum and was allowed to take models out of their cases such as the embroidered waistcoat. "She drew like a naturalist."
The book also reveals the amount of detail that went into her drawings, and she was meticulous about authenticity of detail and color. In "The Tailor of Gloucester," for instance, she sketched from clothing at the Victoria and Albert museum and was allowed to take models out of their cases such as the embroidered waistcoat. "She drew like a naturalist."
May 28, 2018
This biography of Beatrix Potter came into my hands serendipitously, so I was happy to give it a try, without knowing if it's the most completely researched one out there (I still don't know). Either way, it's an absorbing read. Margaret Lane writes engagingly, and the story of Potter's life really is far more interesting than anyone would expect. The book was first published in the 40s, shortly after Potter's death. My edition is the revised one from 1968, which takes into account the journal written in cipher that was only decoded in the 50s, so anyone looking to acquire the book should get the later edition.
May 24, 2024
This was an excellent biography of Beatrix Potter. I loved Margaret Lane’s writing style. Beatrix’ life was especially fascinating to me with my enthusiasm for the Charlotte Mason method. She truly had a “seeing eye”, the artistic gift of a naturalist, and a living imagination which created a special world for her beloved animal friends. This accounts for why her work continues to be so living for countless revelers of her body of children’s literature today. I appreciated that she corresponded with her young friends, was surprised by her positive regard for her American audience, and was brought to tears twice over her love life—-both with her loss of Norman and her happy marriage to William Heelis which came later in her life. I did not realize her generosity and doggedness to work alongside the National Trust to preserve the Lake District until I read this book, but I will furthermore be a grateful tourist in the near future thanks also to Beatrix. May I have an eye to see and savor it as she did.
June 8, 2021
I got given this book as a young child and could never get into it so it has sat on my bookshelf for about 20 years gathering dust. Therefore when the Popsugar Reading Challenge for 2021 had a prompt for reading the book that’s been on your TBR for the longest it seemed it was time.
This is definitely not a book aimed at children. It’s the biography of Beatrix Potter discussing her childhood, family, writing, politics, interests, marriage and farming. It’s written in a very conversational style and flowed really well. I did wonder at times how much was known for certain by the biographer and how much was assumed or fabricated as while there are sections taken from letters and accounts from others, as well as from Beatrix’s diaries there were other sections that felt a little like fillers. Overall though it was a very informative book.
This is definitely not a book aimed at children. It’s the biography of Beatrix Potter discussing her childhood, family, writing, politics, interests, marriage and farming. It’s written in a very conversational style and flowed really well. I did wonder at times how much was known for certain by the biographer and how much was assumed or fabricated as while there are sections taken from letters and accounts from others, as well as from Beatrix’s diaries there were other sections that felt a little like fillers. Overall though it was a very informative book.
July 17, 2024
Margaret Lane is a wonderful biographer. Her writing is lively and knows the history of the time very well.
Loved learning more about Beatrix and am so happy to be doing it so close on the heels of getting to see Hill Top Farm again, Lord willing.
Loved learning more about Beatrix and am so happy to be doing it so close on the heels of getting to see Hill Top Farm again, Lord willing.
March 9, 2024
I have read a great deal about Beatrix Potter and her books and legacy. This was a fine edition, published three years after her death, with some few photos and four plates in full color. I might wish Lane had not fawned so much over the work during her most active writing/illustration ten years, had addressed her knowledge of sheep in somewhat more depth, more about the fungi, and provided some followup about her husband and the Trust. But then she wrote before there was much following to tell. I think I may have read the later revised version of this bio, and certainly others and the films—both documentaries and "adaptations." Most recently my husband and I watched a video of the Hill Top farmhouse and how it has been restored.
Short, entertaining, a bit repetitive and limited in insights.
We have 22 of the books; my favorite is The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse. The stories are not all so brilliant as Lane suggests. Potter objected to comments about her literary "genius" and influences—fearful of being accused of plagiarism or copying—and was quite clear that she rarely invented in her paintings but drew what she saw. She needed models for every detail. It was her choices about detail that make the watercolors wonderful, and today the printing of those watercolors is not so fine as it must once have been.
I still have not read The Fairy Caravan and wish Lane had not been so very disapproving of it. I am more intrigued than put off and will look for a copy in Powell's Book Store next chance I get.
LATER: I did find and read The Fairy Caravan. I liked it as well as most of the shorter books.
Short, entertaining, a bit repetitive and limited in insights.
We have 22 of the books; my favorite is The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse. The stories are not all so brilliant as Lane suggests. Potter objected to comments about her literary "genius" and influences—fearful of being accused of plagiarism or copying—and was quite clear that she rarely invented in her paintings but drew what she saw. She needed models for every detail. It was her choices about detail that make the watercolors wonderful, and today the printing of those watercolors is not so fine as it must once have been.
I still have not read The Fairy Caravan and wish Lane had not been so very disapproving of it. I am more intrigued than put off and will look for a copy in Powell's Book Store next chance I get.
LATER: I did find and read The Fairy Caravan. I liked it as well as most of the shorter books.
January 22, 2012
This is a lovely story written by a lovely English Lady, wife of an Earl, and biography to many other authors, and a novelist herself as well.
I particularly enjoyed the portions covering Beatrix Potter's childhood summers spent in Scotland, and her time enjoyed with her "grandmama" who allowed her to read in the family's literary collections.
That this biography was published by the Warne company, the same company that published Beatrix's "little books," just adds to the delight in owning this book. It is one that I will save for my own grandchildren, and their children.
I particularly enjoyed the portions covering Beatrix Potter's childhood summers spent in Scotland, and her time enjoyed with her "grandmama" who allowed her to read in the family's literary collections.
That this biography was published by the Warne company, the same company that published Beatrix's "little books," just adds to the delight in owning this book. It is one that I will save for my own grandchildren, and their children.
June 8, 2021
As a child I grew up with Noddy and Big Ears and The House at Pooh Corner before moving on to Biggles adventures, R M Ballantyne’s The Coral Island and Baroness Orczy’s The Scarlet Pimpernel. I was never a Peter Rabbit child so only mildly interested in Mary Lane’s biography of Beatrix Potter.
It turned much more interesting than I anticipated; a thorough account of the life and work of an acclaimed author whose creations are still popular more than a century later, both in traditional media and the moving image.
Lane’s biography was published in 1946; three years after Potter died, and revised forty years later with the benefit of materials unavailable for the first edition. In particular she was able to make use of a secret early journal Potter kept from ages 15 to 30; The Journal of Beatrix Potter from 1881 to 1897 by Leslie Linder, who spent nine years breaking and transcribing Potter’s difficult code. The effort in decoding may not have been worth the trouble, as the journal fills in some gaps, but reveals nothing terribly startling.
Potter’s life falls neatly into three phases: a lonely rather oppressive childhood when her interest in both nature and art developed, punctuated by family holidays, including time spent in the Lake District of northern England. The second phase was the great flowering of her story telling, which lasted a relatively short time, perhaps ten years. The interest and encouragement she received from her publishers, Warnes, was particularly important here. And personally, the thrall of her controlling parents steadily loosened as her independence grew and her transition from London to the Lake District became more permanent. She ultimately settled at Hill Top Farm, Near Sawrey.
The third and perhaps most personally rewarding phase of Potter’s life came as she established herself as a farmer, developed a keen interest in agriculture, married a local solicitor and systematically set out to preserve the historic properties of the district and become an active member of her local community.
Potter continued to write during this period, but her best days were past: her interests lay elsewhere and her health was deteriorating, particularly her eyesight, so essential for her unique drawings.
All in all, I got to know a well-known author much better than before, told in a rather nicely old fashioned, sympathetic way, paying due attention to both Beatrix Potter’s life and art.
It turned much more interesting than I anticipated; a thorough account of the life and work of an acclaimed author whose creations are still popular more than a century later, both in traditional media and the moving image.
Lane’s biography was published in 1946; three years after Potter died, and revised forty years later with the benefit of materials unavailable for the first edition. In particular she was able to make use of a secret early journal Potter kept from ages 15 to 30; The Journal of Beatrix Potter from 1881 to 1897 by Leslie Linder, who spent nine years breaking and transcribing Potter’s difficult code. The effort in decoding may not have been worth the trouble, as the journal fills in some gaps, but reveals nothing terribly startling.
Potter’s life falls neatly into three phases: a lonely rather oppressive childhood when her interest in both nature and art developed, punctuated by family holidays, including time spent in the Lake District of northern England. The second phase was the great flowering of her story telling, which lasted a relatively short time, perhaps ten years. The interest and encouragement she received from her publishers, Warnes, was particularly important here. And personally, the thrall of her controlling parents steadily loosened as her independence grew and her transition from London to the Lake District became more permanent. She ultimately settled at Hill Top Farm, Near Sawrey.
The third and perhaps most personally rewarding phase of Potter’s life came as she established herself as a farmer, developed a keen interest in agriculture, married a local solicitor and systematically set out to preserve the historic properties of the district and become an active member of her local community.
Potter continued to write during this period, but her best days were past: her interests lay elsewhere and her health was deteriorating, particularly her eyesight, so essential for her unique drawings.
All in all, I got to know a well-known author much better than before, told in a rather nicely old fashioned, sympathetic way, paying due attention to both Beatrix Potter’s life and art.
March 1, 2009
One could write a very creepy version of Potter's life: the lonely child upstairs with her little animals, the lonely woman living with her parents until age 47, writing strange and surprising violent children's stories about rabbits and rats. The true story is amazing, however. She was kept close to home by her Victorian parents but found supporters for her publishing and scientific ventures. She invested her earnings wisely by buying farmland in the Lake District. When she finally found freedom and love in her marriage to the lawyer who helped her buy property, she devoted herself to the preservation of the Lake District landscape and to farming and sheep-raising. Smart woman, dedicated, self-possessed.
I preferred this older book to the more modern Beatrix Potter: A Life in Nature, by Linda Lear (2007). Lane's book is old-fashioned but lively. Lear has done more current research but has the writing style of a fifth-grader writing a school report. I couldn't finish it.
I preferred this older book to the more modern Beatrix Potter: A Life in Nature, by Linda Lear (2007). Lane's book is old-fashioned but lively. Lear has done more current research but has the writing style of a fifth-grader writing a school report. I couldn't finish it.
October 24, 2012
Terasa seperti mengenali seorang sahabat, bermesra, mendapat beberapa tip penulisan, kemudian terasa juga kehilangannya pada akhir bab. Buku ini ditulis dengan laras bahasa fiksyen dengan lenggok yang baik, tidak seperti buku-buku bukan fiksyen yang agak 'kering' gaya penceritaan. Tiba-tiba saya jadi rindu pada wanita hebat ini dan terasa ingin kembali ke Lake District untuk 'bertemu' dengannya sekali lagi.
September 16, 2020
Absolutely splendid!! This is one of my favorite reads for the year and a new all-time favorite biography. I already enjoyed Beatrix Potter’s art and books and now I admire her even more. I’m also aching to visit the Lake District more than ever... Highly recommend, etc.
May 25, 2009
I love biographies of writers in general. I enjoyed this one. I loved the background info about Miss Potter's ancestry acknowledging the imprint of those that go before. I loved that despite Miss Potter's aristocratic upbringing she embraced and lived who she really was and became a sheep farmer! Her stories arose from her imagination as a result of being pent up in the city. Her soul wandered where her body could not yet go. (The recent movie "Miss Potter" based on this and other biographies is also well done--I enjoyed it)
September 24, 2025
Published in 1946 (three years after she passed away), this is an old-fashioned, concise, well-written and researched biography of Beatrix Potter, which I enjoyed immensely. Somehow the antiquated writing style serves the topic well. I enjoyed this biography more than the more modern one that I have read previously (Over the Hills and Far Away by Matthew Dennison). I especially enjoyed the details about Hill Top and the farms of the Lake District.
March 16, 2021
Interesting details including her devotion to buying land for the National Trust of England. Her second husband had left her half eaten chocolate bar on the table, three years after her death.
She was a reluctant author who started out sending cute cartoons drawn on letters to cousins and children's friends. Eventually, her art work and adventures lead her to become the author we love and know.
Went to battle with the government over copyright infringement.
3.5
She was a reluctant author who started out sending cute cartoons drawn on letters to cousins and children's friends. Eventually, her art work and adventures lead her to become the author we love and know.
Went to battle with the government over copyright infringement.
3.5
March 22, 2025
Such an isolated childhood she had, but love did come to Beatrix Potter, who eventually married and disliked being referred to by her maiden name. Her best works were while she was single since after marriage she devoted herself to her husband, her farms, her Herdwick sheep and work with the National Trust. As she grew older, she said, "...do you not feel it is rather pleasing to be so much wiser than quantities of young idiots?"
May 26, 2024
A delightfully written biography of Beatrix Potter’s life. Her story is so inspiring and her work is enduringly lovable. I feel a kindredness with her now and am looking forward to putting my feet on the ground in the Lake District & seeing her haunts with my own eyes!
March 24, 2018
A simple read for fans of Beatrix Potter and Peter Rabbit. It gave me good insight into her life.
December 5, 2017
"I have long held that the secret of the successful children’s book is that it is not written for children. … Outside appreciation of any kind is of secondary importance to the true children’s writer. For him the first and ultimate requirement is that the book should please himself. For he is the one for whom the book is written. With it he puts to sleep his wakeful youth and tells the story of the hidden child within him. Such works are more often than not the results of an imaginative mind playing its light over lonely childhoods. What the child lacked in those tender years the imagination gives back to it. " Pamela L. Travers
This is what Pamela L. Travers wrote, under the pen name of Milo Reve, in her review of Beatrix Potter’s biography “The Tale of Beatrix Potter” written by Margaret Lane.
When Beatrix Potter died in 1943, few knew the full story of her life and the “Tale of Beatrix Potter“, published in 1946, was the first account of her life. I wish I could ask Pamela if she was assigned to read and review the book or was she the one who chose the subject of her article. Anyhow, the tales of Beatrix Potter were part of Pamela L. Travers’s childhood reads, so in either case I believe she must have enjoyed the task.
Pamela L. Travers’s book review was entitled “The Hidden Child” and was published in The New English Weekly on April 10, 1947 and luckily for me, it was reproduced in its entirety as an Appendix in Patricia Demers’s book “P.L. Travers“, a scholarly book I purchased some time ago on Amazon.
The apparent intensity of Pamela’s deep understanding of the essence of the children’s writer is worthy of attention since all who knew her unanimously attest that she was quite self-absorbed and somewhat alienated from others. Pamela L. Travers was not particularly empathetic and her intimate relationships seem to have been quite tumultuous and complicated. Then, probably, any insight that she might have had of another human being’s experience must have been a resonance of an experience of her own.
After reading the “Hidden Child” I decided to read the “Tale of Beatrix Potter” and see if I could find some evidence supporting my perception of the emotional connection that Pamela L. Travers must have felt when reading the “Tale of Beatrix Potter“. And indeed, reading the book, I realized that there were some obvious similarities between the early emotional experiences of both writers.
As children, they were both kept fed and sheltered, but other than that they were pretty much ignored by their parents and were left to their own devices. Both girls experienced the neglect of their emotional needs and their budding talents were disregarded. Both loved and felt a deep connection with nature. Both were destined to take care of their parents and both desperately wanted to find and did find their way out. As young adults they both suffered from bouts of depression and both ended up writing stories that appealed to children.
But I believe that Beatrix Potter’s transformation in the second half of her life, from a timid and lonely child to a farmer, conservationist and a business woman caused Pamela L. Travers’s admiration. Once Potter married, she lost all interest in writing and devoted herself to her husband and her true love, nature. Beatrix Potter became Mrs. Heelis, a sheep farmer, nature conservationist and an estate owner.
Pamela L. Travers’s interpretation of Potter’s metamorphosis gives a glimpse of her own inner yearning:
"And this retrospective (the story of the child within) my go on for book after book until the time comes when the child is appeased and freed. That the tales cease then is not necessarily a sign of failing imagination but rather that the writer has set himself free to find his fate in the grown-up world. …Beatrix Potter’s life is a perfect example of this pattern. … Full and rich with immediate life she had no overspill for the hidden child; indeed, because of that late fullness the child no longer needed her. She became what she had instinctively longed to be…"
Pamela L.Travers
Here it says it all…for those who listen…and do not judge…
This is what Pamela L. Travers wrote, under the pen name of Milo Reve, in her review of Beatrix Potter’s biography “The Tale of Beatrix Potter” written by Margaret Lane.
When Beatrix Potter died in 1943, few knew the full story of her life and the “Tale of Beatrix Potter“, published in 1946, was the first account of her life. I wish I could ask Pamela if she was assigned to read and review the book or was she the one who chose the subject of her article. Anyhow, the tales of Beatrix Potter were part of Pamela L. Travers’s childhood reads, so in either case I believe she must have enjoyed the task.
Pamela L. Travers’s book review was entitled “The Hidden Child” and was published in The New English Weekly on April 10, 1947 and luckily for me, it was reproduced in its entirety as an Appendix in Patricia Demers’s book “P.L. Travers“, a scholarly book I purchased some time ago on Amazon.
The apparent intensity of Pamela’s deep understanding of the essence of the children’s writer is worthy of attention since all who knew her unanimously attest that she was quite self-absorbed and somewhat alienated from others. Pamela L. Travers was not particularly empathetic and her intimate relationships seem to have been quite tumultuous and complicated. Then, probably, any insight that she might have had of another human being’s experience must have been a resonance of an experience of her own.
After reading the “Hidden Child” I decided to read the “Tale of Beatrix Potter” and see if I could find some evidence supporting my perception of the emotional connection that Pamela L. Travers must have felt when reading the “Tale of Beatrix Potter“. And indeed, reading the book, I realized that there were some obvious similarities between the early emotional experiences of both writers.
As children, they were both kept fed and sheltered, but other than that they were pretty much ignored by their parents and were left to their own devices. Both girls experienced the neglect of their emotional needs and their budding talents were disregarded. Both loved and felt a deep connection with nature. Both were destined to take care of their parents and both desperately wanted to find and did find their way out. As young adults they both suffered from bouts of depression and both ended up writing stories that appealed to children.
But I believe that Beatrix Potter’s transformation in the second half of her life, from a timid and lonely child to a farmer, conservationist and a business woman caused Pamela L. Travers’s admiration. Once Potter married, she lost all interest in writing and devoted herself to her husband and her true love, nature. Beatrix Potter became Mrs. Heelis, a sheep farmer, nature conservationist and an estate owner.
Pamela L. Travers’s interpretation of Potter’s metamorphosis gives a glimpse of her own inner yearning:
"And this retrospective (the story of the child within) my go on for book after book until the time comes when the child is appeased and freed. That the tales cease then is not necessarily a sign of failing imagination but rather that the writer has set himself free to find his fate in the grown-up world. …Beatrix Potter’s life is a perfect example of this pattern. … Full and rich with immediate life she had no overspill for the hidden child; indeed, because of that late fullness the child no longer needed her. She became what she had instinctively longed to be…"
Pamela L.Travers
Here it says it all…for those who listen…and do not judge…
February 1, 2014
2007 bookcrossing journal:
I picked up quite an old paperback copy of this one second hand about six months ago. I saw the film "Miss Potter" last weekend and was spurred on to read her biography. The film was great, incidentally, although they did use a bit of artistic license on a few details of her life.
This was a great biography, but I'm only giving it an eight. Because I do think it's going to have limited appeal. You've either got to be interested in Beatrix or enjoy reading biographies. The only major criticism I have of it (which might not even be relevant now as I have a very old edition), is that it needs more photographs, more of her illustrations, a time-line/chronology, and I think some maps would have been great too.
I read her books when I was younger and I've visited Hill top farm twice - once when I was little (so I don't remember much about it!) and the second time was the summer 06. She is like a national treasure - her books are wonderful, and her later work and support of the National Trust has preserved so much that we can see today.
I thought it was also interesting that even back then they were worried about developers buying up sections of land in order to build on them.A problem older than you might have thought.
I picked up quite an old paperback copy of this one second hand about six months ago. I saw the film "Miss Potter" last weekend and was spurred on to read her biography. The film was great, incidentally, although they did use a bit of artistic license on a few details of her life.
This was a great biography, but I'm only giving it an eight. Because I do think it's going to have limited appeal. You've either got to be interested in Beatrix or enjoy reading biographies. The only major criticism I have of it (which might not even be relevant now as I have a very old edition), is that it needs more photographs, more of her illustrations, a time-line/chronology, and I think some maps would have been great too.
I read her books when I was younger and I've visited Hill top farm twice - once when I was little (so I don't remember much about it!) and the second time was the summer 06. She is like a national treasure - her books are wonderful, and her later work and support of the National Trust has preserved so much that we can see today.
I thought it was also interesting that even back then they were worried about developers buying up sections of land in order to build on them.A problem older than you might have thought.
January 9, 2018
Having grown up with Beatrix Potter's books, it was very interesting to learn more about her life and her personality. She was a person of quiet creativity, shy reserve, unpredictableness, deep love of animals, bluntness, love of the country, and great artistic gifts - just a person I would love to meet. Thankfully, although I will not be able to meet her in this life, this well-written biography by Margaret Lane gave me lots of glimpses into her intriguing life. It is not a comprehensive sketch of Beatrix, but still covers the main points well and is a pleasant read.
It is amazing to me that Beatrix Potter sent Peter Rabbit to six (I believe) different publishing companies and all turned her down. She ended up publishing privately with modest success and finally convinced a publishing company to take the story on. Little did she know then how great a success her tales would be and would continue to be for many, many generations to come. And they're still going strong!
It is amazing to me that Beatrix Potter sent Peter Rabbit to six (I believe) different publishing companies and all turned her down. She ended up publishing privately with modest success and finally convinced a publishing company to take the story on. Little did she know then how great a success her tales would be and would continue to be for many, many generations to come. And they're still going strong!
July 18, 2016
I have been reading a series of fictional tales, based on fact, about Potter and decided I wanted to read a bio to get her real story. Thanks to my small library's access to InterLibrary Loan, I had my choice of bios. I chose this one, written soon after her death and published by Warnes, her own publishers. I thought a later bio would be full of literary criticism of her writing and I just wanted a straighforward story of her life. This is what I got with this bio published in 1946. There was one chapter about her books and their impact, and the rest was just about her life. It had a strange and solitary beginning, but a happy ending and this story was told with the help of her husband, William Heelis, and many contemporaries.
May 24, 2008
Absolutely lovely. I had the advantage of being able to consult our collection of Beatrix Potter's books while I was reading through her biography. Seeing the artwork and reading some of the stories at the same time they were being described in the book made it so enjoyable. I learned a ton, and Beatrix Potter certainly led an interesting life.
A fun read.
A fun read.
June 3, 2020
"My dear Freda,
Because you are fond of fairy tales, and have been ill, I have made you a story all for yourself - a new one that nobody has read before."
Beatrix Potter era una donna che accompagnava la convalescenza dei suoi piccoli amici raccontando storie, ma era anche una donna che andava nel bosco a raccogliere ghiande per i suoi maiali in tempo di guerra, che partecipava alle fiere del bestiame e allevava pecore.
Nata e cresciuta a Londra, in un'austera casa vittoriana, dove vive relegata nella nursery al terzo piano, affidata alle cure, più o meno amorevoli, di varie governanti, finirà la sua vita in una fattoria nel Lake District facendo spegnere il suo sguardo sulle amate colline pochi giorni prima del Natale del 1943.
Da sempre incredibilmente schiva e riservata, fa quasi perdere le tracce di sé come autrice quando sposandosi (a 50 anni! Incredibile per l'epoca) diventa Mrs Heelis. Alla sua morte, poche persone sapevano che quella donna vestita di tweed che circolava per le colline di Sawery fosse colei che aveva dato vita a Peter Rabbit e al resto della cricca. La maggior parte dei suoi comuni ammiratori era convinta che Beatrix Potter fosse morta da tempo.
Figlia primogenita di una coppia dedita a costruire e mantenere la propria posizione in società, vive un’infanzia solitaria fino all’arrivo dell’amato fratello Bertram con il quale condividerà la passione per l’osservazione e la raccolta di animali più o meno domestici o addomesticabili, tra cui ricordiamo diversi conigli e topi, un gufo e un porcospino.
L’incontro con questi animali e con il mondo naturale è la salvezza per i giovani Potter, schiacciati dalla rigida etichetta vittoriana che li voleva pettinati, inamidati e composti.
Entrambi i fratelli faranno tesoro delle forzate e lunghissime vacanze estive che, in ottemperanza alla moda dell’epoca, portavano la famiglia Potter a trasferirsi in località collinari o marine, portandosi dietro tutto l’armamentario atto a ricostruire lì una copia quanto più fedele possibile della casa e delle abitudini londinesi.
Godendo di più libertà e di ritmi più rilassati, Beatrix e Bertram non perderanno occasione di scorrazzare per le campagne armati di fogli e matite. È qui che Beatrix si scopre a fissare per ore le radici di un albero, il riflesso del sole su un secchio, gli animali nelle fattorie o gli abitanti dei cottage. È ora che si pongono le basi dei due grandi cambiamenti della sua vita: i suoi libri e l’amore per queste terre.
Beatrix inizia a riempire quaderni su quaderni di disegni e acquarelli. Contemporaneamente inizia a tenere un diario scritto in caratteri minuscoli e in un codice cifrato di sua invenzione che Mr Linder impiegherà anni a decifrare. Per poi scoprire che non nascondeva nulla di scabroso o particolarmente personale!
I genitori riconoscono il talento della figlia che non viene né incoraggiato né ostacolato, almeno non fino a quando rimane una passione amatoriale. Non vedono, invece, di buon occhio la carriera della figlia né, tanto meno, il nascere della sua relazione con Norman Warner, il figlio scapolo del suo editore, considerato un partito indegno.
Per la prima volta, all’età di quarant’anni, Beatrix si ribella al volere dei genitori e accetta la proposta di matrimonio di Norman. Il richiamo della felicità é troppo forte anche per una figlia devota.
Ma purtroppo Norman morirà prima di poterla sposare. Per Beatrix saranno anni durissimi di malattia e depressione. A salvarla sarà la sua fuga nella campagna. Nell’estate del 1905 inaspettatamente acquista Hill Top Farm, nel Lake District. Si inizia a rendere conto delle possibilità che il possedere del denaro suo, guadagnato grazie a i suoi libri, le offre.
Finalmente si apre per Beatrix una strada tutta in discesa, che verrà coronata da una felice vita matrimoniale.
Margaret Lane ci accompagna nella vita di Beatrix Potter come solo un’amica e una grande ammiratrice può fare. Anche se una biografia sembra andare contro la volontà di riservatezza dell’autrice, mi ha commosso leggere la serietà - un filo eccessiva a mio avviso - con cui vengono analizzati i suoi libri e ho adorato entrare in questa vita fatta di pecore, colline, camini e pavimenti in pietra.
Ora non mi resta che trovare il mio cottage!
http://lettureedintorni.blogspot.com/...
Because you are fond of fairy tales, and have been ill, I have made you a story all for yourself - a new one that nobody has read before."
Beatrix Potter era una donna che accompagnava la convalescenza dei suoi piccoli amici raccontando storie, ma era anche una donna che andava nel bosco a raccogliere ghiande per i suoi maiali in tempo di guerra, che partecipava alle fiere del bestiame e allevava pecore.
Nata e cresciuta a Londra, in un'austera casa vittoriana, dove vive relegata nella nursery al terzo piano, affidata alle cure, più o meno amorevoli, di varie governanti, finirà la sua vita in una fattoria nel Lake District facendo spegnere il suo sguardo sulle amate colline pochi giorni prima del Natale del 1943.
Da sempre incredibilmente schiva e riservata, fa quasi perdere le tracce di sé come autrice quando sposandosi (a 50 anni! Incredibile per l'epoca) diventa Mrs Heelis. Alla sua morte, poche persone sapevano che quella donna vestita di tweed che circolava per le colline di Sawery fosse colei che aveva dato vita a Peter Rabbit e al resto della cricca. La maggior parte dei suoi comuni ammiratori era convinta che Beatrix Potter fosse morta da tempo.
Figlia primogenita di una coppia dedita a costruire e mantenere la propria posizione in società, vive un’infanzia solitaria fino all’arrivo dell’amato fratello Bertram con il quale condividerà la passione per l’osservazione e la raccolta di animali più o meno domestici o addomesticabili, tra cui ricordiamo diversi conigli e topi, un gufo e un porcospino.
L’incontro con questi animali e con il mondo naturale è la salvezza per i giovani Potter, schiacciati dalla rigida etichetta vittoriana che li voleva pettinati, inamidati e composti.
Entrambi i fratelli faranno tesoro delle forzate e lunghissime vacanze estive che, in ottemperanza alla moda dell’epoca, portavano la famiglia Potter a trasferirsi in località collinari o marine, portandosi dietro tutto l’armamentario atto a ricostruire lì una copia quanto più fedele possibile della casa e delle abitudini londinesi.
Godendo di più libertà e di ritmi più rilassati, Beatrix e Bertram non perderanno occasione di scorrazzare per le campagne armati di fogli e matite. È qui che Beatrix si scopre a fissare per ore le radici di un albero, il riflesso del sole su un secchio, gli animali nelle fattorie o gli abitanti dei cottage. È ora che si pongono le basi dei due grandi cambiamenti della sua vita: i suoi libri e l’amore per queste terre.
Beatrix inizia a riempire quaderni su quaderni di disegni e acquarelli. Contemporaneamente inizia a tenere un diario scritto in caratteri minuscoli e in un codice cifrato di sua invenzione che Mr Linder impiegherà anni a decifrare. Per poi scoprire che non nascondeva nulla di scabroso o particolarmente personale!
I genitori riconoscono il talento della figlia che non viene né incoraggiato né ostacolato, almeno non fino a quando rimane una passione amatoriale. Non vedono, invece, di buon occhio la carriera della figlia né, tanto meno, il nascere della sua relazione con Norman Warner, il figlio scapolo del suo editore, considerato un partito indegno.
Per la prima volta, all’età di quarant’anni, Beatrix si ribella al volere dei genitori e accetta la proposta di matrimonio di Norman. Il richiamo della felicità é troppo forte anche per una figlia devota.
Ma purtroppo Norman morirà prima di poterla sposare. Per Beatrix saranno anni durissimi di malattia e depressione. A salvarla sarà la sua fuga nella campagna. Nell’estate del 1905 inaspettatamente acquista Hill Top Farm, nel Lake District. Si inizia a rendere conto delle possibilità che il possedere del denaro suo, guadagnato grazie a i suoi libri, le offre.
Finalmente si apre per Beatrix una strada tutta in discesa, che verrà coronata da una felice vita matrimoniale.
Margaret Lane ci accompagna nella vita di Beatrix Potter come solo un’amica e una grande ammiratrice può fare. Anche se una biografia sembra andare contro la volontà di riservatezza dell’autrice, mi ha commosso leggere la serietà - un filo eccessiva a mio avviso - con cui vengono analizzati i suoi libri e ho adorato entrare in questa vita fatta di pecore, colline, camini e pavimenti in pietra.
Ora non mi resta che trovare il mio cottage!
http://lettureedintorni.blogspot.com/...
June 1, 2021
Margaret Lane mined Beatrix Potter’s correspondence to flesh out the author and illustrator of the beloved children’s classics she is so well known for.
Miss Potter’s writing career began, in fact, with an illustrated letter sent to cheer up the ailing son of her former governess; in it was told “The Tale of Peter Rabbit”. It took time, effort and the belief of a shy and retiring publisher, Norman Warne, to launch Beatrix’s wondrous first career, to the delight and edification of children the world over.
Her second, and possibly personally more gratifying career as a sheep farmer of the hills of the Lake District, began in middle age. Her purchase of Hill Top farm was an act of rebellion against her lonely London childhood. She thrived and truly came into herself as a respected breeder and judge of Herdwick sheep.
Putting down roots in the Lake District brought her into contact with a local solicitor, William Heelis, whom she married. Together, the Heelis’ bought farms around Hill Top as they came up for sale. Ultimately, Mrs. Heelis turned the profits from her books into the preservation of thousands of acres through the National Trust.
This is a wonderful, anecdote-filled book, well illustrated with personal photographs and lovely color reproductions of Beatrix Potter’s watercolors.
Miss Potter’s writing career began, in fact, with an illustrated letter sent to cheer up the ailing son of her former governess; in it was told “The Tale of Peter Rabbit”. It took time, effort and the belief of a shy and retiring publisher, Norman Warne, to launch Beatrix’s wondrous first career, to the delight and edification of children the world over.
Her second, and possibly personally more gratifying career as a sheep farmer of the hills of the Lake District, began in middle age. Her purchase of Hill Top farm was an act of rebellion against her lonely London childhood. She thrived and truly came into herself as a respected breeder and judge of Herdwick sheep.
Putting down roots in the Lake District brought her into contact with a local solicitor, William Heelis, whom she married. Together, the Heelis’ bought farms around Hill Top as they came up for sale. Ultimately, Mrs. Heelis turned the profits from her books into the preservation of thousands of acres through the National Trust.
This is a wonderful, anecdote-filled book, well illustrated with personal photographs and lovely color reproductions of Beatrix Potter’s watercolors.
November 12, 2020
A biography of Beatrix Potters life that draws heavily on her journal and letters to friends for information.
I've read Beatrix's journal and would say it's far more interesting than this biography. However this book does put into perspective aspects of her life that I'm sure she never considered herself. This biography makes clear how desperately lonely Beatrix was essentially for the first 20 years of her life and though she didn't want to make waves, her battle for freedom from her parents. I found the author harsh on Beatrix and others and seems critical of her subject. The photos and prints throughout the book are a nice addition.
I've read Beatrix's journal and would say it's far more interesting than this biography. However this book does put into perspective aspects of her life that I'm sure she never considered herself. This biography makes clear how desperately lonely Beatrix was essentially for the first 20 years of her life and though she didn't want to make waves, her battle for freedom from her parents. I found the author harsh on Beatrix and others and seems critical of her subject. The photos and prints throughout the book are a nice addition.
June 5, 2021
Written in, and with the unmistakable and unfamiliar style of the 1940s, the biography at times was difficult to work through. Still, the details of Beatrix (Potter) Heels appear patiently researched and set forth as little bits of information that both surprise and enlighten. How advantageous also, that the author was able to communicate with people who had actually known the author of "The Tale of Peter Rabbit."
Having visited the Lake District of England, but not knowing until I'd left of Beatrix's part in its preservation, I am unashamedly grateful to her for having pioneered the keeping of this beautiful piece of the British Isles.
Having visited the Lake District of England, but not knowing until I'd left of Beatrix's part in its preservation, I am unashamedly grateful to her for having pioneered the keeping of this beautiful piece of the British Isles.
July 14, 2018
Informative, but horribly dry and dull. I probably would have preferred a wikipedia page to this book.
It tries to blend pure information with a somewhat artistic style, but both fall flat. The artistic style comes across more like mere listings of plants or places instead of giving the reader a real feel for the subject matter.
Perhaps this was a popular writing style in the 1940s (as this was first published in 1946). Though considering the works of Tolkien and Lewis are also of this era, it's hard to completely think it's just "an older style of writing".
It tries to blend pure information with a somewhat artistic style, but both fall flat. The artistic style comes across more like mere listings of plants or places instead of giving the reader a real feel for the subject matter.
Perhaps this was a popular writing style in the 1940s (as this was first published in 1946). Though considering the works of Tolkien and Lewis are also of this era, it's hard to completely think it's just "an older style of writing".
July 20, 2018
The second biography I had read about Beatrix Potter, so no new huge revelations. This one was much less comprehensive and detailed, but I think I liked that it gave an intimate but broad view of her life. Lots of direct quotes of hers, excerpts of letters, and interviews with those who actually knew her as it was written not too long after her death, and published by the company who did her books. I highly recommend this to anyone wanting to know more about her without tons and tons of details.
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