Peter Pan and Wendy; Margaret Ogilvy by Her Son

Peter Pan and Wendy, by J. M. Barrie. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1911. Fifth edition, printed November 1911 (same year as the original publication year of the first edition). Octavo, viii (first leaf blank), 267 pages plus a frontispiece, pictorial title leaf and 11 full-page plates by F. D. Bedford. Original green cloth blocked in gilt to front cover and spine with elaborate designs showing showing Peter with two mermaids and a crocodile (to front cover), and Captain Hook and mermaids (to spine); top edge coloured (but now rather faded), plain endpapers. Cloth is slightly worn to edges with a little fraying and crushing to spine tips and corners. There is sunning to spine and rear cover, with some small spots of further wear. Gilt is a little dulled. The text block is square, but the covers have a little bowing. Some small spots of foxing to edges, with further foxing and offsetting to prelims; hardly any other foxing throughout, with only a handful of pages showing moderate foxing. Pages are tightly bound with the exception of two plates that have come loose; these are placed opposite pages 200 and 224. Complete example with all plates present, as called for. A lovely copy. Based on stories that the author told his close friend Sylvia Llewelyn Davies’s sons, the cheeky and free-spirited boy destined for eternal youth is an homage to the brothers, who would later become Barrie’s wards following their parents’ death in close succession.

[together with]

Margaret Ogilvy by Her Son, by J. M. Barrie. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1897. Third edition, completing thirtieth thousand. 12mo, 204 pages plus a frontispiece and 4 pages of publisher's advertisements at rear. Original blue cloth with title in gilt to spine; top edge gilt, other edges untrimmed, plain endpapers. Cloth is worn and a little soiled, with bumping to extremities and corners, crushing to spine tips and sunning to spine. Text block lightly cocked. Heavy offsetting to prelims, a little foxing and thumb marks scattered throughout. Inscription in pen to half-title, dated 1900, and a strip of tape to rear paste-down, keeping in place a small piece of ephemera from the previous owner. A good copy. A beautiful tribute in which Barrie "unabashedly poured out his devotion to [his mother]. Some, mainly Americans, spoke of it as a marvellous filial tribute." (Markgraf, xi). Barrie recounts his mother telling tales of her childhood, and credits her with inspiring his interest in literature. One of the best selling books of 1897 in the United States, according to The Bookman.