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The Collected Peter Pan
Peter Pan, the boy who refused to grow up, is one of the immortals of children's literature. J. M. Barrie first created Peter Pan as a baby, living in secret with the birds and fairies in the middle of London, but as the children for whom he invented the stories grew older, so too did Peter, reappearing in Neverland, where he was aided in his epic battles with Red Indians and pirates by the motherly and resourceful Wendy Darling.
Peter Pan has become a cultural icon and symbol for escapism and innocence, remaining popular with both children and adults.
In this collected edition, Robert Douglas-Fairhurst brings together five of the main versions of the Peter Pan story, from Peter Pan's first appearance in The Little White Bird, to his novelization of the story, the stage version, and unrealized silent film script.
This edition contains a lively introduction, detailed explanatory notes, original illustrations, and appendices that include Barrie's coda to the play that was only performed once.
Peter Pan has become a cultural icon and symbol for escapism and innocence, remaining popular with both children and adults.
In this collected edition, Robert Douglas-Fairhurst brings together five of the main versions of the Peter Pan story, from Peter Pan's first appearance in The Little White Bird, to his novelization of the story, the stage version, and unrealized silent film script.
This edition contains a lively introduction, detailed explanatory notes, original illustrations, and appendices that include Barrie's coda to the play that was only performed once.
528 pages, Hardcover
Published December 1, 2019
14 people are currently reading
4000 people want to read
About the author
J.M. Barrie
2,307 books2,219 followersJames Matthew Barrie was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several successful novels and plays.
The son of a weaver, Barrie studied at the University of Edinburgh. He took up journalism for a newspaper in Nottingham and contributed to various London journals before moving there in 1885. His early Auld Licht Idylls (1889) and A Window in Thrums (1889) contain fictional sketches of Scottish life representative of the Kailyard school. The publication of The Little Minister (1891) established his reputation as a novelist. During the next decade, Barrie continued to write novels, but gradually, his interest turned towards the theatre.
In London, he met Llewelyn Davies, who inspired him about magical adventures of a baby boy in gardens of Kensington, included in The Little White Bird, then to a "fairy play" about this ageless adventures of an ordinary girl, named Wendy, in the setting of Neverland. People credited this best-known play with popularizing Wendy, the previously very unpopular name, and quickly overshadowed his previous, and he continued successfully.
Following the deaths of their parents, Barrie unofficially adopted the boys. He gave the rights to great Ormond street hospital, which continues to benefit.
The son of a weaver, Barrie studied at the University of Edinburgh. He took up journalism for a newspaper in Nottingham and contributed to various London journals before moving there in 1885. His early Auld Licht Idylls (1889) and A Window in Thrums (1889) contain fictional sketches of Scottish life representative of the Kailyard school. The publication of The Little Minister (1891) established his reputation as a novelist. During the next decade, Barrie continued to write novels, but gradually, his interest turned towards the theatre.
In London, he met Llewelyn Davies, who inspired him about magical adventures of a baby boy in gardens of Kensington, included in The Little White Bird, then to a "fairy play" about this ageless adventures of an ordinary girl, named Wendy, in the setting of Neverland. People credited this best-known play with popularizing Wendy, the previously very unpopular name, and quickly overshadowed his previous, and he continued successfully.
Following the deaths of their parents, Barrie unofficially adopted the boys. He gave the rights to great Ormond street hospital, which continues to benefit.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 13, 2023
This is an interesting read, but not 100% what I was hoping for. First, some background. I'm sure I've seen the old Disney Peter Pan ages ago, but I can't say I remember much of it at all. I better remember the film Hook with Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman, but even so, I assumed the films took great liberties with the original story, and I was curious to read the original source material. My assumption was that Disney took a traditional children's book and adapted it. I did not realize that Barrie wrote Peter Pan principally as a play (although the earliest origin appears to be the novelette "The Little White Bird"), and I was rather disappointed in the play for a variety of reasons. The Little White Bird, on the other hand, was more to my liking in terms of its inventiveness, its narrative voice, its sense of wonder. I also prefer reading traditional prose.
My main complaints were with the play and how it loses some of the wonder that the novelette holds. The play is clearly a pantomime designed to appeal to children, and I found the characters to be not especially interesting and the plot to be a touch dull also, to be honest. They're written for broad slapstick appeal and broad portions of the play use unfortunate and very dated racial stereotypes toward indigenous Americans. (I'm going to guess Barrie wasn't intentionally racist, but was more of a product of his times, but it's still a bit cringe-y to read about "redskins" talking in caricatured monosyllables.) What the play does exceptionally well is its elaborate descriptions for set design and effects. If the early productions of this play were able to pull off Barrie's notes, I'm sure audiences would have been delighted by the spectacle of it all. Indeed, actors flying about a stage, or a set divided into above- and below-ground, or a large pirate ship would have been impressive technical and artistic feats. But the play itself--the dialog, the overarching narrative--is fairly shallow and at times saccharine. When I compare this to other children's literature of the early twentieth century, I find it lacking, at least as a modern reader who was hoping to find beautifully crafted prose that I often associate with that era.
I did not finish the entire book. I may return to it later, perhaps to read the Peter and Wendy play. For fans of Peter Pan or readers interested in the literary history of it, this may appeal quite a bit, but I'm skeptical it will resonate with more general readers.
My main complaints were with the play and how it loses some of the wonder that the novelette holds. The play is clearly a pantomime designed to appeal to children, and I found the characters to be not especially interesting and the plot to be a touch dull also, to be honest. They're written for broad slapstick appeal and broad portions of the play use unfortunate and very dated racial stereotypes toward indigenous Americans. (I'm going to guess Barrie wasn't intentionally racist, but was more of a product of his times, but it's still a bit cringe-y to read about "redskins" talking in caricatured monosyllables.) What the play does exceptionally well is its elaborate descriptions for set design and effects. If the early productions of this play were able to pull off Barrie's notes, I'm sure audiences would have been delighted by the spectacle of it all. Indeed, actors flying about a stage, or a set divided into above- and below-ground, or a large pirate ship would have been impressive technical and artistic feats. But the play itself--the dialog, the overarching narrative--is fairly shallow and at times saccharine. When I compare this to other children's literature of the early twentieth century, I find it lacking, at least as a modern reader who was hoping to find beautifully crafted prose that I often associate with that era.
I did not finish the entire book. I may return to it later, perhaps to read the Peter and Wendy play. For fans of Peter Pan or readers interested in the literary history of it, this may appeal quite a bit, but I'm skeptical it will resonate with more general readers.
March 31, 2023
A wonderful read for those who are already fans of Peter Pan or those looking for insight into J.M. Barrie and his writing. This book is so great because it combines all of the various publications on Peter Pan (plays, movie treatments, the novel "Peter Pan and Wendy," etc.) into one volume which gives the reader a bird's eye view of how Barrie created his masterpiece. This is a must own/read for those looking to delve deeper into a timeless childhood classic.
April 24, 2022
3.5 stars rounded up
I never realized how many different versions of Peter Pan there were until I picked up this book. I enjoyed the introduction and history behind Barrie’s life. It was also interesting seeing how Peter Pan’s story changed with each different rendition. The Native American stereotypes and views on women from that period did lessen the enjoyment.
I never realized how many different versions of Peter Pan there were until I picked up this book. I enjoyed the introduction and history behind Barrie’s life. It was also interesting seeing how Peter Pan’s story changed with each different rendition. The Native American stereotypes and views on women from that period did lessen the enjoyment.
April 25, 2023
What a treat for the Peter Pan fan of all ages! Die-hard fans as well as scholars will appreciate the original materials in one volume, which affords the reader a glimpse into the evolution of the tale over time and genres. It's fascinating to see how the story changes through the various iterations.
May 15, 2024
The actual story of Peter Pan is good and I really enjoyed the Peter and Wendy part however, most of the book is just repeating its self in different ways which got very boring very quick
February 5, 2020
I love Peter Pan, it is by far my most favorite classic. So when I realized there was a book with several versions of the story by J.M. Barrie I just had to have it. Showing the evolution of the story through all these different versions was something I hadn't really seen before and it was amazing to see how the story changed depending on the medium used to tell the story. I'll definitely reread this book!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews