Beatrix PotterBeatrix Potter was an English author, artist, naturalist, and conservationist who lived from 28 July 1866 to 22 December 1943. She is well renowned for her animal-themed children's novels, like The Tale of Peter Rabbit, which was her first piece to b published in 1902. More than 250 million copies of her novels, including 23 Tales, have been distributed. Peter Rabbit was the first fictional figure to be turned into a patented stuffed toy in 1903, making him the earliest licensed character. Potter was also a pioneer of merchandise. Potter was raised alone and was schooled by governesses despite being born into an upper-middle-class family. She kept several animals and vacationed in Scotland and the Lake District, where she developed a love of the outdoors and the flora and fauna, which she meticulously documented and painted. In the discipline of mycology, Potter gained acclaim for her studies and watercolors of fungi. Potter self-published The Tale of Peter Rabbit, a phenomenally popular children's book, in her forties. Potter then started working full-time on children's book writing and illustration. Potter published more than sixty books, the best-known of which is her 23 children's stories. Read More Read Less