The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse

5C Beatrix Potter. London: F. Warne & Co., 1910. First or Second Edition.

Notes

Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse was published in 1910 and features one of her most meticulous and tidy characters—a little wood mouse named Mrs. Thomasina Tittlemouse. The story centers on Mrs. Tittlemouse’s efforts to keep her home perfectly clean despite a parade of uninvited and messy guests, including beetles, a spider, and especially the loud and dirty toad, Mr. Jackson.

The tale humorously contrasts Mrs. Tittlemouse’s obsession with cleanliness with the chaotic visits of her guests, culminating in her determination to thoroughly clean and remodel her burrow to keep future interruptions at bay. In the end, she hosts a small, orderly party for her more respectable friends—on her own terms.

The story is gently comedic and filled with detailed illustrations of cozy interiors and woodland creatures. It reflects Beatrix Potter’s love of domestic order, her keen observations of animal behavior, and a subtle wit. The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse also connects loosely to The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies, in which she briefly appears, helping to tie Potter’s animal world together.

Description

Blue cloth boards with hexagon paper inlaid illustration and white lettering on upper board and spine. Illustrated endpapers and charming illustrations throughout. First and second prints were identical. Some sun fading to the cover and spine. Partly detached frontispiece page.  Fine condition.