The Story of Peter Pan

Retold from the Fairy Play

By Sir J.M. Barrie

The Classic Children's Tale

Peter Pan is a character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A mischievous boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the small island of Neverland as the leader of his gang, the Lost Boys, interacting with mermaids, Native Americans, fairies, pirates, and occasionally ordinary children from the world outside Neverland. In addition to two distinct works by Barrie himself, the character has been featured in a variety of media and merchandise, both adapting and expanding on Barrie's works.

Peter Pan first appeared in a section of The Little White Bird, a 1902 novel written by J.M Barrie for adults.

The character's best-known adventure first appeared on 27 December 1904, in the form of a stage play entitled Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up. The play was adapted and expanded somewhat as a novel, published in 1911 as Peter and Wendy.

Following the success of the 1904 play, Barrie's publishers, Hodder and Stoughton, extracted chapters 13-18 of The Little White Bird and republished them in 1906 under the title Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, with the addition of illustrations by Arthur Rackham.