It was the second of Rackham's books to be published as both a trade and deluxe edition and, as noted by Fred Gettings, "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". Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens was the most popular Christmas gift book for 1906, and was highly successful commercially. Barrie developed this story into a play (first performed in 1904, but not published until 1928), this book of 1906 (the first to appear with the name of the character in the title) and, finally, the novel Peter and Wendy which was published in 1911. 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. This was the first appearance of Peter Pan in the title of a book, and Rackham's outstanding illustrated edition is an acknowledged classic of the "Golden Age" of book illustration. Signed limited edition, number 335 of 500 copies signed by the illustrator.
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