Alison Uttley and the Little Grey Rabbit

The release of the private diaries of the late Alison Uttley, author of the classic “Little Grey Rabbit” children’s books, have been causing a stir in England. As Alison Flood notes in a Guardian report, The Private Diaries of Alison Uttley 1932 to 1971 “reveal the author to have been a controlling, difficult woman who despised many people” — including, for example, her own illustrator, Margaret Tempest, whom Uttley called “absolutely awful” and “a humourless bore.”

On the other hand, the release is also prompting some who worked with her to come forth with their own stories about her that are even juicier. For example, in a remembrance at the Fotolibrarian site that’s worth reprinting nearly in full, Gwyn Headley recalls:

When I worked for Collins (the predecessor of HarperCollins) I was detailed to accompany Alison Uttley to the Children’s Book Fair at the Royal Horticultural Halls in Westminster. She was a sour little old woman, with no small talk, and I was clearly merely a minion.

But I was quite good at publicity, and I’d arranged for everyone attending the fair to be invited to COME AND MEET ALISON UTTLEY. At half hourly intervals the PA system hollered out ‘ALISON UTTLEY!! LITTLE GREY RABBIT AUTHOR!! HERE AT 12!!’

Teachers were whipping their charges into a state of frenzy. Me, I just wanted to sell some books.

We’d placed Uttley on a curtained daïs, and on the dot of 12 the curtain rose. A howling crowd of excited children stormed the stage.

As Uttley hadn’t bothered to listen to a word I’d told her, she was completely unprepared for this. Dimly she perceived an overwhelming mob running at her and with British pluck she unhesitatingly grabbed her duck-handled umbrella and waded into the attack, felling infants right and left.

The kiddies paused, briefly regrouped, then broke up and ran off, screaming in terror. Uttley strode among them, lashing out freely.