- It"s been 110 years since Frederick Warne published Beatrix Potter"s very first book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, and in celebration, we are delighted to be publishing special editions of her entire body of work. Unlike the traditional little white books, these editions have delightful colourful covers and specially designed endpapers. And to make them extra special, we have included a publisher"s note to tell you all about the history of how each book came to be. Beatrix Potter gathered material for a book of rhymes over many years. In 1917, when her publisher was in financial difficulties and needed her help, she suggested that Appley Dapply"s Nursery Rhymes could be brought out quickly, using her existing collection of rhymes and drawings. The fact that the illustrations were painted at different times explains why the style occasionally varies. Appley Dapply"s Nursery Rhymes is number 22 in Beatrix Potter"s series of 23 little books.