The Beyond
Beyond the Books
Everything others have made of her — and how the real Beatrix Potter compares to the one the world invented.
There is a lot to wander through here. New tales by other writers. The scholars who saved her archive, and the museums that hold it now. Her animals on stage and screen. The home she left to the nation. Pick whatever catches your eye — one good page tends to lead to the next.
Hill Top, Near Sawrey
Mrs Heelis has some guests around for tea.
I
New Tales
A Highland Adventure: A Review of The Further Tale of Peter RabbitIn 2012 Emma Thompson sent Peter Rabbit to Scotland — the first time he ever left the Lake District. Our review of The Further Tale of Peter Rabbit.A Winter Mission: A Review of The Christmas Tale of Peter RabbitEmma Thompson's second sequel sends Peter and Benjamin on a Christmas rescue. Does The Christmas Tale of Peter Rabbit earn its place beside the originals?A Fairground Fiasco: A Review of The Spectacular Tale of Peter RabbitA travelling fair rolls into the village and sweeps Peter up in it. Emma Thompson's third sequel, reviewed — and where The Spectacular Tale lands.
II
On Stage
Beatrix Potter on Stage: Theatrical Adaptations Through the DecadesBeatrix Potter on stage — from a 1920s Christmas play she helped rewrite to the Royal Ballet at Covent Garden, and what live theatre gives her tales.The Tales of Beatrix Potter (Royal Ballet Film 1971)In 1971 the Royal Ballet danced Beatrix Potter. Frederick Ashton put dancers in animal masks and made her little books move. Here is how the ballet film works.
III
The Scholars
The Linder Bequest: How One Man’s Obsession Became the Definitive ArchiveFor decades Leslie Linder obsessively collected Beatrix Potter — and cracked her secret code. The result is the archive at the Victoria and Albert Museum.Judy Taylor: The Editor Who ListenedJudy Taylor spent a decade building a body of work on Beatrix Potter — biography, letters, essays, histories. All of it built on one instinct: let Beatrix speak.Linda Lear's A Life in Nature: The Definitive BiographyA review of Linda Lear's Beatrix Potter biography, A Life in Nature — the definitive modern life that put the scientist back at the centre.Margaret Lane: Beatrix Potter's First BiographerMargaret Lane was Beatrix Potter's first biographer. The Tale of Beatrix Potter began it all — graceful, authorised, written close to the life.
IV
The Collections
The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A): Beatrix Potter's Papers, Drawings, and LettersThe Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) holds the world's largest Beatrix Potter collection — papers, drawings, letters. What's inside, and how to see it.Where Are the Fungi Drawings Now? The Armitt Museum CollectionBeatrix Potter's fungi drawings did not vanish with her. Most live at the Armitt Museum in Ambleside — here is where they are, and how to see them.
