Unknown Beatrix Potter Story Discovered

Two years ago, Penguin publisher Jo Hanks found mention of the unedited story, entitled "The Tale of Kitty Boots," in a letter that Potter wrote to her publisher in 1914.  A search through the Victoria & Albert archive eventually uncovered the story as well as a rough sketch of Kitty-in-Boots.

The story remained unfinished when Potter died in 1943, despite intentions from the author to finish it  Other Potter letters in the V&A archive reveal that she struggled to return to Kitty-in-Boots after a series of real-life interruptions such as keeping up with the daily chores of sheep farming.

The Kitty-in-Boots story attracted illustrator Quentin Blake to the project, known in particular for his illustrations of the Roald Dahl books. Blake said "It seemed almost incredible when, early in 2015, I was sent the manuscript of a story by Beatrix Potter; one which had lain unpublished for 100 years and which, with the exception of a single drawing, she had never illustrated."

Image: Beatrix Potter/Frederick Warne & Co. & the V&A Museum.