The Tale of Pigling Bland was published the year the Beatrix Potter was married and settled down to farming life for good. She had already been keeping pigs and she sketched them for this story, using her own farmyard as the setting. One little black pig was a household pet and features as the "perfectly lovely" Pig-wig who runs away with Pigling Bland.

The Tale of Pigling Bland is number fifteen in Beatrix Potter's series of 23 little books, the titles of which are as follows:

1. The Tale of Peter Rabbit
2. The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin
3. The Tailor of Gloucester
4. The Tale of Benjamin Bunny
5. The Tale of Two Bad Mice
6. The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle
7. The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher
8. The Tale of Tom Kitten
9. The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck
10. The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies
11. The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse
12. The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes
13. The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse
14. The Tale of Mr. Tod
15. The Tale of Pigling Bland
16. The Tale of Samuel Whiskers
17. The Tale of The Pie and the Patty-Pan
18. The Tale of Ginger and Pickles
19. The Tale of Little Pig Robinson
20. The Story of a Fierce Bad Rabbit
21. The Story of Miss Moppet
22. Appley Dapply's Nursery Rhymes
23. Cecily Parsley's Nursery Rhymes