The Little White Bird. by BARRIE, J. M - 1902

London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1902. From the collection of an eminent bibliophile First edition, first impression, handsomely bound with the original spine panel preserved and bound in to the rear. This is the first appearance in print of Peter Pan, in which Peter appears as a seven-day-old infant in this book-within-a-book story-collection for adults. Barrie was increasingly turning away from prose to concentrate on drama at this time, and two years later Peter Pan opened on 27 December 1904, breaking all previous theatrical records. In 1906 Barrie sanctioned the publication of the children's gift book, Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, with the text extracted from The Little White Bird and illustrated by Arthur Rackham. The text of the stage play was not published until 1928, the year after this inscription.
This copy is from the library of Sir William Garth, Kolkata-based lawyer, esteemed member of the King's Council, a devotee of the arts and letters, and an avid collector of first editions by modern writers. Octavo (194 x 136 mm). Finely bound by Bickers & Son in blue half morocco, titles and compartments to spine gilt, raised bands tooled in gilt, blue cloth sides, gilt rules to covers, blue endpapers, top edge gilt, blue silk bookmark; original cloth spine panel bound in at rear. With a map frontispiece, bound without tissue guard mentioned in Garland. Bookplate of William Garth to front pastedown. Spine negligibly sunned, a few tips very lightly rubbed, a little offsetting to edges of endpapers, slight creases from spine to final few leaves, else a near-fine copy. Garland 32.