The Tale of Peter Rabbit
As Lear explains, Potter titled "The Tale of Peter Rabbit and Mr. McGregor's Garden" and sent it to publishers, but "her manuscript was returned ... including Frederick Warne &amp; Co. ... who nearly a decade earlier had shown some interest in her artwork. Some publishers wanted a shorter book, others a longer one. But most wanted coloured illustrations which by 1900 were both popular and affordable". The several rejections were frustrating to Potter, who knew exactly how her book should look (she had adopted the format and style of Helen Bannerman's "Little Black Sambo") "and how much it should cost". She decided to publish the book herself, and on 16 December 1901 the first 250 copies of her privately printed "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" were "ready for distribution to family and friends".