The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle

5C Beatrix Potter. London: F. Warne & Co., 1905. First or Second Edition.

Notes

Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle was published in 1905 and is one of her most enduring and beloved stories. It follows a little girl named Lucie, who lives in the hills of the Lake District and has lost some pocket handkerchiefs and a pinafore. While searching, she stumbles upon a small door in the hillside and discovers the home of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, a tiny, kind hedgehog who works as a washerwoman for the local animals.

Lucie helps Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle with the laundry and meets her woodland “clients,” including characters like Peter Rabbit’s cousin, Benjamin Bunny. At the end of the day, Lucie returns home, unsure if it was all a dream—but she still finds her missing clothes, neatly folded. The story playfully blurs the line between reality and fantasy, adding a sense of wonder and magic to an otherwise domestic tale.

The book showcases Potter’s love for nature and the English countryside, as well as her attention to detail in both text and illustration. Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, based in part on a real pet hedgehog, became one of Potter’s most iconic characters—symbolizing warmth, orderliness, and the charm of rural life.

Description

Brown cloth binding with paper inlaid illustration on upper board and white lettering on upper board and spine. Charming illustrations throughout and illustrated endpapers. First and second editions were identical. This could be either as both have “How Keld” on page 20, unique to the first and second prints. Very fine condition overall.