The ANNOTATED PETER PAN edited by Maria Tatar

[GOSH]

As some of you know, Maria Tatar (Professor of Germanic Languages and Literatures and Folklore and Mythology at Harvard University) has been working for many years on this comprehensive study of Peter Pan and the life of JM Barrie, which is finally going to be published on 11 October by WW Norton - in celebration of the centenary of the first publication of the novel, originally entitled  Peter and Wendy.

Drawing on her extensive research into JM Barrie's papers and notes, Maria Tatar guides readers through the many different Peter Pans that haunted his imagination. This new volume showcases a stunning array of photographs and illustrations, many reproduced for the first time, and including Arthur Rackham's stunning pictures from Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens.

There are lots more delights for every Peter Pan enthusiast, not least the reproduction of The Boy Castaways of Black Lane Island, in print for the first time since the only two copies ever produced were published in 1901! The book ends with Barrie's 1920s scenario for a proposed film (never taken up by Paramount) and includes extensive documentation along with a compilation fo responses from young and old to Barrie's work.

A truly beautiful book, enhanced by Maria Tatar's thoughtful and inspiring notes and comments, available through all major bookshops in the US and UK, and also of course through Amazon:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Annotated-Peter-Pan-Centennial-Books/dp/0393066002/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1316448332&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Annotated-Peter-Pan-Centennial-Books/dp/0393066002/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1316448385&sr=1-1

[GOSH]

A great piece by Michael Newton in The Guardian on Saturday, reviewing The Annotated edition: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/oct/07/peter-pan-michael-newton?newsfeed=true

I found it a very perceptive piece indeed, especially the reference to Andrew's TV drama The Lost Boys. Here's a quote:"The programme's brilliance arises both from Birkin's commitment to accuracy and from the knowledge that truth must be something concealed from us, somewhere playing hide and seek among the manuscripts and letters. The acting is note-perfect too, especially Ian Holm's performance as Barrie. The attentiveness and patience of the piece, its combining the richness of a novel and the virtues of theatre with the resources of television (the voice-over, the use of landscape) are qualities that it would be hard to find now on British TV." Couldn't have put it better.

[junelike]

Bought it! Can't wait to have it delivered!