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The Annotated Peter Pan (The Centennial Edition)
Excellent Book
Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1911
9 people are currently reading
157 people want to read
About the author
J.M. Barrie
2,312 books2,218 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 - 23 of 23 reviews
April 29, 2025
"All children, except one, grow up."
Okay first of all this was my first time reading this (I am 27 why am I reading it for the first time!?!) and all I have to say is that it was beautiful and I CRIED😅😭 I do kind of wish that I never watched the movie or in general that I simply wouldn't have known this story!!! before reading the book, because I would have had a different experience and not know what to expect...
J.M. Barrie's writing is so fun and beautiful! I feel like he is describing scenes in a way, it is so interesting!
I did overall enjoy this book.
And a big thank you goes to my dear friend Luu 🫂🩷who gave me this book otherwise I probably would never have read it Love u Girl🩷🫂
Okay first of all this was my first time reading this (I am 27 why am I reading it for the first time!?!) and all I have to say is that it was beautiful and I CRIED😅😭 I do kind of wish that I never watched the movie or in general that I simply wouldn't have known this story!!! before reading the book, because I would have had a different experience and not know what to expect...
J.M. Barrie's writing is so fun and beautiful! I feel like he is describing scenes in a way, it is so interesting!
I did overall enjoy this book.
And a big thank you goes to my dear friend Luu 🫂🩷who gave me this book otherwise I probably would never have read it Love u Girl🩷🫂
October 29, 2012
Some books will always remain classics. Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of the Rings. They will be remembered for years to come. So will Peter Pan. Most people know it as the 1956 Disney movie, which is what I knew it as too. Then I watched the 2003 real-life film, and Finding Neverland (the retelling of how Barrie was inspired to write Peter Pan). Watching all those movies got me a little obsessed with Peter and the wonderful and exciting world of Neverland, where mermaids, pirates, Indians and the wonderful ability to fly are made real. Obviously I had no other choice but to buy the book and experience the real thing. I was not disappointed.
This complete edition shows clearly why J.M. Barrie was considered one of the great geniuses of English literature. While the writing is a little outdated (it WAS written over a hundred years ago) it’s still beautifully written and will capture your heart. It’s the perfect story of childhood fantasies and adult nostalgia.
It tells the story of Peter Pan, the boy who never grew up. For “all children grow up, except one.” He visits the Darling family every night to listen to Mrs. Darling tell stories to her three children, Wendy, John, and Michael. Then he goes back to Neverland to repeat the stories to the Lost Boys, (children which were separated from their parents). One night, Nana, the dog who is the children’s nanny, sees Peter’s shadow peeking in from the window and grabs it before he can get away. This, of course, gives Peter the perfect excuse to come into the children’s nursery with his fairy best friend Tinker Bell and search for his shadow, which Mrs. Darling had hidden away. When he finds it, being a boy, he cannot stick it back on. He gets upset and starts crying, which in turn wakes Wendy. She sews his shadow back on, and being a particularly forgetful and self-absorbed child, he disregards Wendy’s input and believes it was all his doing “Oh, the cleverness of me”. The two talk for a while and Peter tells Wendy all about Neverland, trying to lure her away where she’ll always be able to tell him stories. Wendy agrees, but only if her brothers come along too.
And so begins numerous adventures filled with pirates, Indians, and mermaids. Wendy becomes the boys’ mother, telling them stories and putting them to bed. It ironically makes her realize that she is ready to grow up. But between the adventures with Indians and mermaids, Captain James Hook, Peter’s arch-enemy, is planning his demise after Peter cut off his right arm and fed it to the crocodile. He captures the Lost Boys and Wendy, luring Peter into a final match to the death. Like all villains though, he doesn’t win. After taking control of his ship, Peter sails Wendy and her brothers’ home. But, after seeing what it was like to have their own mother, the Lost Boys want to grow up too.
Peter watches as all the children are reunited with their overjoyed parents, deciding that “to live will be an awfully big adventure.” However Wendy isn’t ready to say goodbye to Peter and they decide that she will go with him to Neverland for a week every spring. But Peter was a very forgetful boy, and came for Wendy very infrequently. Many years later he’s distraught to find that she has grown up without his permission. But a new tradition begins when he sees Wendy’s daughter Jane, sleeping in her bed. He takes her to Neverland with him instead with Wendy’s blessing and the same with Jane’s daughter, “and thus it will go on, so long as children are gay and innocent and heartless.”
This book was a joy to read. It gives anybody, young or old, reasons to believe that the impossible is possible as long as you have “faith, trust and pixie dust.”
I recommend Peter Pan to anybody as every now and then we need a reason to step into a land of make-believe. I know that I will always be looking out my window waiting for Peter Pan to come and take me to Neverland, as will anybody else who reads this book.
This complete edition shows clearly why J.M. Barrie was considered one of the great geniuses of English literature. While the writing is a little outdated (it WAS written over a hundred years ago) it’s still beautifully written and will capture your heart. It’s the perfect story of childhood fantasies and adult nostalgia.
It tells the story of Peter Pan, the boy who never grew up. For “all children grow up, except one.” He visits the Darling family every night to listen to Mrs. Darling tell stories to her three children, Wendy, John, and Michael. Then he goes back to Neverland to repeat the stories to the Lost Boys, (children which were separated from their parents). One night, Nana, the dog who is the children’s nanny, sees Peter’s shadow peeking in from the window and grabs it before he can get away. This, of course, gives Peter the perfect excuse to come into the children’s nursery with his fairy best friend Tinker Bell and search for his shadow, which Mrs. Darling had hidden away. When he finds it, being a boy, he cannot stick it back on. He gets upset and starts crying, which in turn wakes Wendy. She sews his shadow back on, and being a particularly forgetful and self-absorbed child, he disregards Wendy’s input and believes it was all his doing “Oh, the cleverness of me”. The two talk for a while and Peter tells Wendy all about Neverland, trying to lure her away where she’ll always be able to tell him stories. Wendy agrees, but only if her brothers come along too.
And so begins numerous adventures filled with pirates, Indians, and mermaids. Wendy becomes the boys’ mother, telling them stories and putting them to bed. It ironically makes her realize that she is ready to grow up. But between the adventures with Indians and mermaids, Captain James Hook, Peter’s arch-enemy, is planning his demise after Peter cut off his right arm and fed it to the crocodile. He captures the Lost Boys and Wendy, luring Peter into a final match to the death. Like all villains though, he doesn’t win. After taking control of his ship, Peter sails Wendy and her brothers’ home. But, after seeing what it was like to have their own mother, the Lost Boys want to grow up too.
Peter watches as all the children are reunited with their overjoyed parents, deciding that “to live will be an awfully big adventure.” However Wendy isn’t ready to say goodbye to Peter and they decide that she will go with him to Neverland for a week every spring. But Peter was a very forgetful boy, and came for Wendy very infrequently. Many years later he’s distraught to find that she has grown up without his permission. But a new tradition begins when he sees Wendy’s daughter Jane, sleeping in her bed. He takes her to Neverland with him instead with Wendy’s blessing and the same with Jane’s daughter, “and thus it will go on, so long as children are gay and innocent and heartless.”
This book was a joy to read. It gives anybody, young or old, reasons to believe that the impossible is possible as long as you have “faith, trust and pixie dust.”
I recommend Peter Pan to anybody as every now and then we need a reason to step into a land of make-believe. I know that I will always be looking out my window waiting for Peter Pan to come and take me to Neverland, as will anybody else who reads this book.
December 17, 2012
I LOVED THIS BOOK
October 2, 2015
This is still my favorite adventure story of all time!
full review in a bit.
full review in a bit.
May 10, 2020
3.5 stars
This was a nice easy read and I really enjoy this story.
This was a nice easy read and I really enjoy this story.
July 13, 2025
Excellent reference.
December 6, 2025
Oh, the dreams children dream! Adventures await!
December 18, 2024
Your childhood faves are depraved.
June 23, 2024
I wanted this(*) originally just for the footnotes and back matter, but on looking more closely at the novel I was surprised to realize that I hadn't ever actually read Peter and Wendy all the way through before, or at least I hadn't paid attention. Barrie's writing is wild and strange and fun and friendly and mysterious and wicked at the same time, a perfect fit for his characterization of Peter; his influence on children's literature in general is obvious but I don't know of anyone else with quite the same slipperiness of narrative voice, where the author can be a wise avuncular presence or a whim-driven child or any combination of those. After the massive success of the play, he could've easily cranked out a more straightforward novelization that just described the same events, but this isn't that. It's the opposite of Disney, not just in terms of being darker, but in its sense that there's no single style for how things look or behave, and no guarantee that the story will be told the same way from one minute to the next, because the whole book is like Neverland itself: a kid's improvisational game, deeply felt but never quite filled in and never stable.
The annotations are solid. Everyone who likes annotated books will have their own favorite type of footnote; personally I'm always more interested in the kind that provides historical/literary context or defines unfamiliar terms (the definitions were a lot more helpful to me than I had expected—I always think I understand Edwardian idioms better than I do, and there are some very funny jokes I wouldn't have gotten on my own), and less interested in the kind that just points out what a passage is getting at thematically, but the latter has its place too and Tatar's read on the book's themes and imagery makes sense to me. The historical/biographical essays before the novel are basically summarizing stuff you could find out elsewhere, but I like the writing and they belong here, and I think Tatar gives exactly the right amount of attention to the uncomfortable aspects of the work and of Barrie's life. The back matter is massive and well chosen; I was surprised at first that it doesn't include The Little White Bird or Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens (which it does talk about about a lot), but since those are pretty easily available online, it makes sense to use that space for other rarer things.
(* I wanted it, but I can't take credit for finding out about it in the first place and finally acquiring it; my wife did that, because she's wise and I'm lucky.)
The annotations are solid. Everyone who likes annotated books will have their own favorite type of footnote; personally I'm always more interested in the kind that provides historical/literary context or defines unfamiliar terms (the definitions were a lot more helpful to me than I had expected—I always think I understand Edwardian idioms better than I do, and there are some very funny jokes I wouldn't have gotten on my own), and less interested in the kind that just points out what a passage is getting at thematically, but the latter has its place too and Tatar's read on the book's themes and imagery makes sense to me. The historical/biographical essays before the novel are basically summarizing stuff you could find out elsewhere, but I like the writing and they belong here, and I think Tatar gives exactly the right amount of attention to the uncomfortable aspects of the work and of Barrie's life. The back matter is massive and well chosen; I was surprised at first that it doesn't include The Little White Bird or Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens (which it does talk about about a lot), but since those are pretty easily available online, it makes sense to use that space for other rarer things.
(* I wanted it, but I can't take credit for finding out about it in the first place and finally acquiring it; my wife did that, because she's wise and I'm lucky.)
February 28, 2022
I started reading this Centennial Edition of Peter Pan after watching the 2003 adaptation, getting quite literally slapped in the face by Hook's death scene, thinking about nothing else for days, starting to write notes like a maniac, and eventually falling into a research rabbit hole that led me to this book.
What am I doing with my life? Do I not have a PhD thesis on an unrelated subject to write? Why the hell am I devoting hours of my time to writing a semi-academic paper that no one asked for? All valid questions that I will simply ignore.
More importantly: this was great.
If you have never read Barrie's original novel, or if you did long ago but find your personal vision of Peter Pan as a character and as a work of fiction clouded by the many subsequent adaptations (and, let's face it, mostly the Disney movie), I couldn't recommend reading Peter and Wendy (the original title for the Peter Pan novel) enough. It will make you realize how much more complex and nuanced and layered the famous wonderful boy from Neverland actually is.
The notes that are added in this edition truly enrich the reading experience by giving information about the context, sources for the literary references hidden in the text, and even some enlightening elements of analysis.
Beware that some aspects of the story have aged like milk (i.e. Wendy's bliss at her premature domestic enslavement and the cartoonishly racist portrayal of the Native American tribe of Neverland) but otherwise, I have never so much enjoyed a book in which I find every character despicable. Except one.
What am I doing with my life? Do I not have a PhD thesis on an unrelated subject to write? Why the hell am I devoting hours of my time to writing a semi-academic paper that no one asked for? All valid questions that I will simply ignore.
More importantly: this was great.
If you have never read Barrie's original novel, or if you did long ago but find your personal vision of Peter Pan as a character and as a work of fiction clouded by the many subsequent adaptations (and, let's face it, mostly the Disney movie), I couldn't recommend reading Peter and Wendy (the original title for the Peter Pan novel) enough. It will make you realize how much more complex and nuanced and layered the famous wonderful boy from Neverland actually is.
The notes that are added in this edition truly enrich the reading experience by giving information about the context, sources for the literary references hidden in the text, and even some enlightening elements of analysis.
Beware that some aspects of the story have aged like milk (i.e. Wendy's bliss at her premature domestic enslavement and the cartoonishly racist portrayal of the Native American tribe of Neverland) but otherwise, I have never so much enjoyed a book in which I find every character despicable. Except one.
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July 19, 2021“To die will be an awfully big adventure.”
Every child is affected thus the first time he is treated unfairly. All he thinks he has a right to when he comes to you to be yours is fairness. After you have been unfair to him he will love you again, but will never afterwards be quite the same boy. No one ever gets over the first unfairness; no one except Peter. He often met it, but he always forgot it. I suppose that was the read difference between him and all the rest.
It's only the gay and innocent and heartless who can fly.
Liked it quite a bit more than the first time I tried to read it (a translation into Spanish with no footnotes). The concept of Peter as a dead child, Hook, the narrator, motherhood and the window that must always, always remain open... There's so many things to discuss and analyse! I'm glad I found a good annotated version, although I must admit that I wasn't interested in all of the extra sections, specially those after the story itself.
Every child is affected thus the first time he is treated unfairly. All he thinks he has a right to when he comes to you to be yours is fairness. After you have been unfair to him he will love you again, but will never afterwards be quite the same boy. No one ever gets over the first unfairness; no one except Peter. He often met it, but he always forgot it. I suppose that was the read difference between him and all the rest.
It's only the gay and innocent and heartless who can fly.
Liked it quite a bit more than the first time I tried to read it (a translation into Spanish with no footnotes). The concept of Peter as a dead child, Hook, the narrator, motherhood and the window that must always, always remain open... There's so many things to discuss and analyse! I'm glad I found a good annotated version, although I must admit that I wasn't interested in all of the extra sections, specially those after the story itself.
August 11, 2024
3,5☆
Die Geschichte rund um Peter Pan ist wohl fast jedem bekannt. Auch ich kannte die Geschichte durch den Disneyfilm und "Hook" schon, dennoch ist es natürlich sehr interessant auch die Originalgeschichte kennenzulernen.
Ich fand die Geschichte abenteurlich, manchmal auch etwas befremdlich, habe Peter, Wendy, John und Michael aber gerne ins Niemalsland begleitet. Dort erleben sie allerhand und es kommt zu entlichen Kämpfen und zum großen Showdown zwischen Peter und Hook.
Für ein Kinderbuchklassiker war die Geschichte schon etwas brutal. Es kamen stereotypische Rollen vor und Peter war ein kleiner Wichtigtuer. Man muss natürlich auch bedenken das die Geschichte schon sehr alt ist und in dieser Zeit noch sehr viele Dinge anders gesehen wurden.
Insgesamt hat mich das Buch gut unterhalten:)
Die Geschichte rund um Peter Pan ist wohl fast jedem bekannt. Auch ich kannte die Geschichte durch den Disneyfilm und "Hook" schon, dennoch ist es natürlich sehr interessant auch die Originalgeschichte kennenzulernen.
Ich fand die Geschichte abenteurlich, manchmal auch etwas befremdlich, habe Peter, Wendy, John und Michael aber gerne ins Niemalsland begleitet. Dort erleben sie allerhand und es kommt zu entlichen Kämpfen und zum großen Showdown zwischen Peter und Hook.
Für ein Kinderbuchklassiker war die Geschichte schon etwas brutal. Es kamen stereotypische Rollen vor und Peter war ein kleiner Wichtigtuer. Man muss natürlich auch bedenken das die Geschichte schon sehr alt ist und in dieser Zeit noch sehr viele Dinge anders gesehen wurden.
Insgesamt hat mich das Buch gut unterhalten:)
January 25, 2015
Older books have the wittiest lines, and older children's books have the most wonderful moments. Like here, Peter going off to find the time for Wendy, or Tink being all bad at the moment because fairies are so small they must be all one thing at once. It's a book about children's imaginations and playing, and it's wonderful.
(also old enough to feature the odd 'you silly ass' as a "normal" line of dialogue, but you know. English changes)
I loved it.
(also old enough to feature the odd 'you silly ass' as a "normal" line of dialogue, but you know. English changes)
I loved it.
October 17, 2021
Not sure I would read this to a kid. It’s actually pretty dark, and violent. And a product of its time, meaning girls are depicted as loving housework (Wendy gets to go back to Neverland every year to do Peter’s spring cleaning!) and … redskins, need I say more. And honestly Peter is kind of a selfish little jerk. There is some fun and magic in it but I wouldn’t read it to a kid or recommend a kid read it.
March 27, 2021
Very glad I read it for the awe inspiring imagery it provokes of neverland and flying and pirates, however very problematic in its treatment of Native Americans (as subhuman) and women (as domestic slaves), and often irritating (childish😉?) dialogue.
The additional information in this version is engrossing. I didn’t realize I was interested in knowing so much.
The additional information in this version is engrossing. I didn’t realize I was interested in knowing so much.
March 25, 2012
beautiful book. kids loved it!
October 4, 2012
This is not your Disney version. And really not for children. It is a dark fairy tale that left me in tears. If one wants to look past Disney, go here immediately.
December 27, 2012
I was pleasently surprised. The narrator was a fun "character" that, when I read this to someone, I will enjoy portraying.
April 25, 2013
It was filled with violence. Awesome!
How is this a children's book? There are so many people that die, and it talks about it with ease.
I suppose it's kind of an eye opener to the way we think.
How is this a children's book? There are so many people that die, and it talks about it with ease.
I suppose it's kind of an eye opener to the way we think.
February 4, 2023
Best libro, es una de mis versiones fav de Peter pan, 100% recomendable
December 4, 2023
V just loves Peter Pan. We listen to it nightly, over and over. Oh, to be little and love the magic of story like she does.
May 1, 2024
I don’t recommend these editions (IMO): too long for target audience, and the story is hard to follow likely bc it reads more like someone narrating each scene of the movie version.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews