Peter Pan: or, The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up (1904) is the title of Scottish playright and novelist James M. Barrie's most famous play, and Peter and Wendy is the title of Barrie's 1911 novelization of it. Both tell the story of Peter Pan, a mischievous little boy who can fly, and his adventures on the island of Neverland with Wendy Darling and her brothers, the fairy Tinker Bell, the Lost Boys, the Indian princess Tiger Lily, and the pirate Captain Hook. The play and novel were both inspired by Barrie's friendship with the Llewelyn-Davies family. The novel follows the play closely, but includes a final chapter not part of the original play.The play debuted in London December 27, 1904 with Nina Boucicault in the titular role. A Broadway production was mounted in 1905 starring Maude Adams. It was later revived with such actresses as Marilyn Miller and Eva Le Gallienne, and made into a silent film in 1924. The play has since seen adaptation as musical, television special, and two sound films - one a 1953 animated Disney full-length feature, and one a 2003 British production with state-of-the-art special effects . The play is performed annually in its original form onstage in England, but not necessarily in the rest of the world. In the U.S., it is the 1954 musical version, which became popular on television, that is usually staged live.
The novel was first published in 1911 by Hodder & Stoughton in the United Kingdom and Charles Scribner's Sons in the United States. The original book contains a frontispiece and 11 half-tone plates by artist F. D. Bedford. Peter and Wendy is published today as Peter Pan and Wendy or simply Peter Pan.
In 1929, Barrie gave the copyright of the Peter Pan works to Great Ormond Street Hospital, a children's hospital in London. The copyright's status has since become complicated. The tale of Peter Pan has remained popular among children and adults since its first publication and has taken its place as an unquestioned piece of classic theatre and literature.
