The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse - Composition and Publication

Composition and Publication

In 1916, Potter wrote a tale called The Oakmen in a story letter to her niece Nancy, and, as a result of her failing eyesight, commissioned Ernest Aris to develop her designs with the expectation the book would be published by Warne. The publisher doubted the originality of the plot and rejected the book, which was just as well because Potter was disappointed with Aris's work.

In 1917, Potter was too busy with the business of operating Hill Top Farm to give her publisher's request for a new story much attention, but, early in 1918, she proposed a tale adapted from a fable by Aesop. Johnny Town-Mouse was the only book of her later years for which Potter prepared a whole set of new drawings. A dummy book was prepared but the title Timmy Willie was rejected as well as The Tale of a Country Mouse. When The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse was finally settled upon, the story's opening line – "Timmy Willie went to town by mistake in a hamper" – was, of necessity, changed to "Johnny Town-Mouse was born in a cupboard. Timmy Willie was born in a garden."

In May 1918, Potter sent her publisher six drawings for the new book while managing various problems at the farm and attending her brother Bertram's funeral. She confessed that working with real animals forced her to "despise paper-book-animals". The last drawings were ready in August 1918 as World War I was coming to a close. The book was published in December 1918 bearing the dedication, "To Aesop in the shadows".