Beatrix Potter was a writer, illustrator, conservationist, and natural scientist, best known for her books for children. Inspired by her childhood holidays in Scotland and the Lake District, she self-published The Tale of Peter Rabbit in 1901, and went on to write twenty-three books for children. She was also a successful sheep breeder and farmer, with an interest in land preservation. She died in 1943 at the age of 77, leaving all her land to the National Trust - the largest ever gift to the trust, and enabling the establishment of what is now the Lake District National Park.