BARRIE, J. M. [James Matthew] (1860-1937). The Little White Bird. London: Holder And Stoughton 1902. 1st Edition. 8vo (195x130mm), viii, 312pp. Very Good. Original dark blue cloth binding with gold gilt lettering on the spine. Illustrated with a map of Kensington Gardens opposite the title page. Top edge gilt. Ex-Library copy in very good condition. Library stickers and stamps on the front pastedown and free endpage. There are a few marks to the cloth which has rubbed away in a couple of spots on the board corners and head of the spine. There is a small tear in the protective paper on the frontispiece. Small amount of foxing on the very large page, but it is absent from the rest of the book. Internally clean and the textblock is true and square.

This is a collection of ‘short episodes’ written by Barrie which capture life in contemporary London, with a particular focus on Kensington Gardens. This book is of note as the first appearance of the character of Peter Pan in Barrie’s writing. What began as a single chapter in The Little White Bird later became Barrie’s most famous and successful character, gaining him international acclaim and a character that lived on in the lives of children long after Barrie was gone. A copy of this book is essential for any Barrie collector or lover of Peter Pan and children's books. This copy is in very good condition, particularly internally where the textblock is clean and looks almost unread.