Peter Pan (1911)

After my disappointment with the small version of this book that I read earlier this month, choosing to read another version could have ended even more badly, but thankfully the extra-large print size of this copy saved it from being another failure. The lack of a full text for the Peter Pan story is still an issue for me, so there's no way that this can earn a top rating, but the print quality is a lot better in this version. The larger format also helps, because we see a lot more of each painting's details and the bright colours really pop. I wish that they had maybe done the deluxe clothbound version in this size (like they did for Hildebrandt's version of Alice in Wonderland), but considering that I keep finding more versions of this book I can live in hope! ( )

As much as I adore Greg Hildebrandt’s illustrations for this condensed version of Peter Pan, I am severely disappointed in this small reproduction in comparison to the other two (far more deluxe) editions that I own. The other editions are cloth-bound and slightly larger, with gilt edging in the bright green cover design, so this copy is immediately a little lacklustre due to its pale brown puffed hardcover binding. But the real disappointment is in the inner layout. Not only are the images laid out haphazardly alongside the text (their only boon is that they are full page size), but the print quality makes many of the images muddy and dull compared to the other reproductions. Hildebrant is known for his use of an overabundantly bright colour palette to illustrate the fantasy scenes that are his main subject matter, so fans of his work are sure to be a little sad to see his colours muted and darkened by the poor prints in this book. The text is also shortened even further than that which appears in the other editions (causing some of the illustrations to be left out entirely), so we just get the bare bones of the real Peter Pan story. Oh well, another one to keep in the collection, and to cite as an example of how NOT to do children’s books ( )

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❧ audiobook review

All these years later and I still want to go to Neverland. Also, Lily Collins is a terrific narrator. ♡