BEATRIX Potter fans will have the chance to get their hands on some of her rarest work.

To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the author's birth, there will be an auction of highly collectable Beatrix Potter pieces.

Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions will be holding the auction on July 28, the date of the author's birth.

It will feature many items from the John Cawood collection, which includes first editions and works on paper.

John Cawood is a resident of the Lake District and prominent member of the Beatrix Potter Society, who developed a passion for Beatrix Potter’s tales as a child.

He began collecting Potter in 1972 with a copy of The Tale of Mrs Tiggy-Winkle, sparking a 40 plus year collecting habit.

Bloomsbury Specialist, Roddy Newlands, said: "Beatrix Potter is most famous for her Peter Rabbit stories, the charming small-format books originally published between 1902 and 1930, all of which feature in this auction, including rare first editions, books inscribed by the author and books in the very scarce glassine dust-jackets.

"The auction also features examples of Beatrix Potter’s earlier work as an illustrator of popular children’s books and ephemera in the 19th century, as well as autograph letters from the author and an excellent example of one of her original watercolour designs, for The Story of Miss Moppet."

Estimates for the collection range from £250 to £35,000.