It is extremely difficult to overstate the value of J.M. Barrie's contributions to imaginative literature. Best-known as the creator of Peter Pan, Barrie was a shy man who expressed himself most vividly through his fantastical stories. His play and, later, novels about Peter Pan and his friends and enemies-most famously Wendy Darling and the menacing Captain Hook, respectively-continue to captivate audiences and influence writers the world over, whether they are presented in their original formats or adapted.
The very first edition of Peter and Wendy was published in 1911 by Hodder and Stoughton of London in the United Kingdom and New York City's Charles Scribner's Sons in the United States. Both editions were illustrated by F.D. Bedford and are generally valued between $200 and $12,000. The wide range of prices is due in part to the variety of conditions available-Peter and Wendy was and remains a beloved children's classic-and the particular history of the book in question. British editions tend to be more highly valued, although, at the less expensive end of the spectrum, British and American editions sell for more or less equivalent rates.
Barrie, J.M. Peter and Wendy. Hodder and Stoughton: London (1911). Illustrated by F.D. Bedford
Barrie, J.M. Peter and Wendy. Charles Scribner's Sons: New York (1911). First U.S. Edition; Illustrated by F.D. Bedford
Barrie, J.M. Peter and Wendy. Hodder and Stoughton: London (1921). Illustrated by Mabel Lucie Attwell
Barrie, J.M. Peter and Wendy. Hodder and Stoughton: London (1931). Illustrated by Gwynedd M. Hudson
Barrie, J.M. Peter and Wendy. Editorial Joventut: Barcelona (1935). Translated by Maria Manent; Illustrated by Mabel Lucie Attwell
Barrie, J.M. Peter and Wendy. Hodder and Stoughton: London (1939). Illustrated by Edmund Blampied
Barrie, J.M. Peter Pan and Other Plays. Oxford University Press: United Kingdom (1995). Full title-Peter Pan and Other Plays: The Admirable Crichton; Peter Pan; When Wendy Grew Up; What Every Woman Knows; Mary Rose
Barrie, J.M. Peter Pan and Wendy. Easton Press: Norwalk, CT (2002). Leather Edition; Illustrated by Mabel Lucie Attwell
Barrie, J.M. Peter Pan and Wendy. The Folio Society (2006). Illustrated by Debra McFarlane