The Tale of Peter Rabbit

Precedence runs: December 1901 private printing (250 copies, flat spine) = the absolute true first; February 1902 second private printing (200 copies, rounded spine) = second; Frederick Warne, October 1902 = the first published/commercial edition (the 'trade first'). The two private printings are exceedingly rare and must not be conflated — they are two distinct printings (Dec 1901 vs Feb 1902), separated by the flat vs rounded spine. Private printings have monochrome interiors with a single colour frontispiece and the Strangeways imprint; the Warne trade edition is fully coloured.