Books

Signed limited edition, number 263 of 500 copies signed by the artist, of this acknowledged classic of the "Golden Age" of book illustration. It also represents the first-ever appearance of Peter Pan in the title of a book. Following publication, Barrie wrote to Rackham stating he had "shed glory" on the text and requested they continue to collaborate (cited in Hudson, p. 66). The story of Peter Pan had its genesis in Barrie's 1902 novel The Little White Bird, in which the central chapters tell of a child "who escaped from being a human when he was seven days old... and flew back to Kensington Gardens". Barrie developed this story into a play (first performed in 1904, but not published until 1928), the present book, and finally the novel Peter and Wendy (1911). Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, the most popular Christmas gift book for 1906, was the second of Rackham's books to be published in both a trade edition and in this luxurious deluxe format. "Its publication and quality was a sure sign that Rackham had arrived, and was now to remain as one of the leading illustrators in a wide field of book titles" (Gettings, p. 112). Quarto. Original vellum, spine and front cover lettered in gilt, front cover with gilt illustration after the vignette title page, brown endpapers, front free endpaper with map of Kensington Gardens, top edge gilt, other edges uncut. Colour frontispiece and 49 colour plates tipped to brown art paper, as issued, with captioned tissue guards. Spine foot bumped, silk ties lacking, vellum lightly soiled, gilt bright, edges of white leaves foxed, contents unaffected. A very good copy. Latimore & Haskell, p. 27; Riall, p. 74. Fred Gettings, Arthur Rackham, 1975; Derek Hudson, Arthur Rackham His Life and Work, 1960.

Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens is one of J.M. Barrie's works that features the character Peter Pan, offering a backstory to the beloved 'boy who wouldn't grow up.' Originally part of Barrie's book 'The Little White Bird' (1902), these chapters were later republished as a stand-alone story detailing Peter's adventures in London's famous Kensington Gardens. It's a tale of fantasy that explores themes of childhood innocence and escapism.