I think of myself as a Beatrix Potter fan. I bought some nice reproductions of the original Peter Rabbit stories for my kids when they were young, and my Farmer McGregor impression regularly reduced them to fits of giggles. But, until recently, I never realized there are literally dozens of books and characters by Potter that I've never come across. Perhaps publishers don't believe her brand of si... [more]

Happy Leap Day! We thought you might want something to read on this bonus day, so here's a roundup of the latest news from the rare books world. New Penguins Collectors of Penguin Classics -- and we're nearly all de facto collectors of Penguin Classics by the time we've graduated college -- will be excited to see the launch of a new series of "Pocket Penguins," new editions of the most-widely read... [more]

A rare 161-year-old book of recipes owned by Beatrix Potter is set to go to auction on Thursday. Also for sale is a collection of books and ephemera from Potter's husband William Hellis's personal effects. The cookbook is full of Hellis's family recipes, clearly handed down through generations, but there are several recipes that appear to be in Potter's own hand. Richard Westwood-Brookes, a repres... [more]