Collector: Lindsay Moen, Lead Public Services Librarian Special Collections & Archives 
Collection Title: Peter Goes Global: Foreign Language Copies of The Tale of Peter Rabbit 

Collector Statement:

"The Tale of Peter Rabbit: featuring our favorite naughty rabbit, Peter Rabbit, as he sneaks into Mr. McGregor’s garden to steal vegetables. No matter when and where you grew up, you are likely familiar with this famous children’s book. The idea of Peter Rabbit was conceptualized by Beatrix Potter in 1893, and came to commercial publication life in 1902. Since then, 36 official translations have been published, with the first official translation being a Dutch copy in 1912. With The Tale of Peter Rabbit entering the public domain in 2014 in the United States, we now even see more independent translations of this story, including fantasy languages, like Klingon from Star Trek, which was produced in 2023. 

My collection on display at the Museum of Natural History here at the University of Iowa is just the tip of the iceberg that is my collection of Beatrix Potter materials. While this display highlights some of my foreign language copies of The Tale of Peter Rabbit, my collection expands beyond books, including pamphlets, printed ephemera, dishware, stuffed animals, jewelry, artwork, miniatures, textiles, and other odds and ends that I can get my hands on. 

I’ve been slowly collecting materials related to Beatrix Potter since I can remember, having been sparked at an early age due to my fondness for the stuffed Peter Rabbits. My interest in the rare book collecting of Beatrix Potter materials solidified after I began employment as a student in the University of Iowa Special Collections and Archives in 2010. Iowa is extremely fortunate enough to have a rare privately printed copy of The Tale of Peter Rabbit. 

I keep my collection on display in a dedicated room in our house which my husband Chris and I refer to as “The Peter Rabbit Room.” The room is already quite full after about 10 years of steady collecting. It has especially grown after my husband gifted me a membership to the Beatrix Potter Society a few years ago. I am currently the Website Manager and a Trustee for the Society, having filled a Trustee role in March 2021."