And, that the reason there are bars on nursery windows and a tall fender by the fire is because very little people sometimes forget that they no longer have wings, and try to fly away through the window or up the chimney. The narrator explains that all children in our part of London were once birds in the Kensington Gardens. He meets a penniless young couple whose own son David fulfills his desire. The narrator is 'a gentle, whimsical, lonely old bachelor', an author by profession, whose ambition is to have a son. Barrie's novel The Little White Bird of 1902 contains the first sketches for Peter Pan. Later Barrie let this remarkable child grow a little older and he became the boy-hero of Neverland, making his first appearance with Wendy, Captain Hook, and the Lost Boys. Barrie first created Peter Pan as an infant, living a wild and secret life with birds and fairies in the middle of London. Dedication: 'To Sylvia and Arthur Llewelyn Davies and their boys (my boys).' Scarce sharp, near very good British first edition profusely embellished by Arthur Rackham. Features fifty color plates by Arthur Rackham mounted on heavy stock dark green matte leaves with fine captioned tissue guards throughout illlustrated latter half of volume. Dark tinted green text block at all sides. Intriguing statement verso front endpaper over green matte: 'This publication is for sale in Great Britain, its Colonies and Dependencies, but its sale and exhibition in France is prohibited.' Antiquarian fountain pen inscription at half-title page: 'To G. Dark matte green pictorial endpapers featuring Rackham's map of Peter's village. Frontispiece mounted plate with captioned tissue guard: 'There now arose a mighty sotrm and he was tossed this way and that'. Deckled leaves generally very good, clean some sporadic fox, especially at first few. Cover depicts crisp stylized titles with bright gilt design of babe Peter hands-free on bucking goat.

Russet colored full cloth boards, bright gilt embossed cover and spine design with flourishing titles, moderate shelf wear.

Stated verso title page: 'Copyright in the Unites States of America by Charles Scribner's Sons.' Voluminous 8' x 10' x 2' design.

Peter pan 1906