Peter Pan

Peter and Wendy (Peter Pan) by J.M. Barrie (1911)

The boy who never grows up. Peter Pan, Wendy Darling, Captain Hook, Tinker Bell, the Lost Boys, and Neverland — the ultimate fantasy of eternal childhood, tinged with melancholy and the ache of growing up.

Historical Significance:
Peter Pan first appeared in Barrie's 1902 novel The Little White Bird, then became a phenomenally successful play in 1904, before being novelized as Peter and Wendy in 1911. Barrie, a Scottish playwright haunted by the death of his older brother David at age 13 (after which his mother idealized the boy who would never grow up), created Peter Pan partly from his friendship with the Llewelyn Davies boys, whom he eventually adopted.

Barrie donated the copyright of Peter Pan to Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children in London, which has earned millions in royalties for the hospital. Peter Pan is the rare literary character who belongs genuinely to the collective imagination — "All children, except one, grow up."

This public domain classic was originally published in 1911. Free to read and share.