Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens

A beautiful, lavishly illustrated hardcover edition with colour images on almost every double spread. J. M. Barrie added a new character to the mythology of the English-speaking world - Peter Pan, the boy who never grew up. "Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens dishes up a potent local myth, one that even now endows that park with magic."-Michael Newton, The Guardian. This very generously illustrated edition of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardenshas 53 large full-colour images by famed children's illustrator Arthur Rackham. Children will love this delightfully whimsical story of the adventures of Peter Pan as a baby-before his better-known escapades with Wendy, the lost boys, and Captain Hook. Here, the baby Peter Pan makes friends with fairies, talks to the birds of Kensington Gardens, explores the Serpentine using a baby-sized bird's nest as a boat, and towards the end, is joined in all these by a lost girl. Arthur Rackham (1867 - 1939) was a leading artist during the Golden Age of British book illustration. Kensington gardens are still laid out as Arthur Rackham's map shows, and many landmarks are recognizable in his illustrations. His fame spread to America with his colour illustrations for Rip Van Winkle. Rackham's work is noted for capturing the particular spirit of each story he illustrates. J. M. Barrie (Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1860-1937) was a Scottish dramatist and novelist. Barrie, who retained a childlike spirit throughout life, wished to recapture his happy early childhood years in literature. Walking in Kensington Gardens, he met the two young Llewelyn Davies brothers, and their youngest sibling, Peter, and told them stories about the imaginary adventures of baby Peter in Kensington Gardens. He later wrote down the stories and, in time, became the boys' guardian. Today he is best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan, the boy who never grew up.