Book Description
"Better Dead" is the author'sfirst book, and there is a case to made that with this novel Barrie invented surrealism.

"Auld Licht Idylls" is Barrie's second book and first serious work of fiction, a series of stories centering around a religious sect called Auld Licht in the Scottish community of Thrums. ... Read more

Book Description
"The Little Minister" by J. M. Barrie was first published in Good Words Magazine, spanning the months January to December 1891. Reckoned to be Barrie's best work, it is one of several novels about the fictional village of Thrums, said to be modeled on Barrie's home town of Kirriemuir. In 1840's Scotland, a young Scottish pastor falls in love with an educated, radiant gypsy girl, who turns out to be a peeress who impersonates a gypsy and smoothes things over between rebellious weavers and the authorities in 1840 Scotland.

The play version, produced by the legendary Charles Frohman, was a tremendous success in which the star, according to William Winter's review Jan.10,1897 "expressed impulse, pertness, perversity, caprice, discontent. mischief, longing, self-will, arch and tantalizing sweetness and charmingly irrational contradictions of an impetuous girl." It was made into a RKO movie in 1934 with Katharine Hepburn and John Beal (as the Scottish Minister). According to Maltin's Movie Guide, "Hepburn was radiant."Download Description
I'm coming, but I maun give Mr. Dishart permission to pass first. Hae you heard, Mr. Dishart, Wearyworld whispered, "that the Egyptian diddled baith the captain and the shirra? It's my official opinion that she's no better than a roasted onion, the which, if you grip it firm, jumps out o' sicht, leaving its coat in your fingers. Mr. Dishart, you can pass." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Lousy Editing Job
I have read "The Little Minister" by J. M. Barrie in the past, and the story itself is wonderful.

However, I do have a complaint with the company (The Book Jungle) that published this edition.

Apparently this edition was not proof read, because there were countless errors.

1.Many spots where whole blocks of paragraphs were missing from a chapter, or interspersed in another chapter altogether.

2.Several spots where there were duplicated blocks of paragraphs in the same chapter.

3.Many inappropropriate spelling errors.

4.Punctuation errors, for example periods in inappropriate places, breaking up the sentence structure in the wrong spots.

Overall, I was very disappointed in this particular edition.I have to say it was the worst publication of a book that I have ever read.

And the sad thing was, it cost almost $20.00

Buyers beware!

A Little Diamond
While I couldn't find the World Syndicate 1933 hardback edition that I read of J.M. Barrie's tale first copyrighted in 1891, I did get caught up in the events of the story.The protagonist is a minor character in terms of involvement that recounts the events of the little minister Gavin Dishart.At age 21, Dishart has graduated from university and assumes his first church of the Auld Licht, moving to Thrums with his mother Martha.There with housekeeper Jean they move into the parsonage.The story is told through the eyes of the schoolmaster, who we learn is a biological relative unbeknownst to Gavin.The people of the district are primarily weavers.Their thick brogues are written into the dialogue with unusual words (ken, syne, dominie) that take a bit of time to get used to for the modern reader.For instance Rob Dow talks about the upcoming rain with this response: "Ay," said Tosh eagerly, "but will it be a saft, cowdie sweet ding-on?"You get the sense that they're considering whether it'll be a hard or soft rain, but the specifics zoom past the modern reader not used to the brogue.(I found it interesting that one townsman is named Peter Tosh whose name would be today better known to me as a reggae singer from Jamaica!)

A strike squelching by the military and police is outmaneuvered by the information spread by a gypsy referred to as "the Egyptian."After the opening salvo, the events of the story become less political and more personal as Gavin slowly falls in love with the Egyptian, Babbie, who hides a false identity.With complications made by Lord Rintoul who also wants to marry Babbie for her beauty, the story becomes a romance between money and love.Barrie throws in a bit of adventure with a major flood that rearranges the landscape before bringing the story to conclusion.I found the story to be charming with themes and characters that still speak to us today.This story is a little diamond, well worth dusting off by the modern reader.Enjoy!

great book
I recently picked up a copy of this book at the Lenox used book sale.My copy was inscribed by someone who gave it as a present in 1941.The book jacket says that it is a "children's book" but that's along the lines of saying that Gulliver's Travels is a children's book.The author is the same one who wrote Peter Pan.

It was written around the turn of the century and its style is a little bit more Victorian.However, it is a very interesting book, and I was fascinated by it.(Not quite fascinated enough to read it in one sitting, but fascinated enough that it was hard to tear myself away.)

The narrator is a man who was in love with a woman and circumstances separted them.Now, about 20 years later, she moves not far away from him with her son.The focus is on the circumstances involving the son, which is basically a simple love story.

Nothing original here, but some of the language is very poetic, and he tells a gripping story.Those who are interested in such things will enjoy the Scottish dialect and description of the lifestyle of a small Scottish weaving town. ... Read more

Book Description
CART Family Listening Series ... Read more

Book Description
1914. Sir James Matthew, Baronet Barrie a Scottish journalist, playwright, and children's book writer who became world famous with his play and story about Peter Pan, the boy who lived in Never Land, had a war with Captain Hook, and would not grow up. Contents: Pantaloon; The Twelve-Pound Look; Rosalind; and The Will. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing. ... Read more

Book Description
1900. Scottish dramatist and novelist known for the whimsy and sentimental fantasy of his work. Tommy and Grizel is the follow up to Sentimental Tommy, considered one of his most revealing and outstanding prose works. The two books are thought to have a Peter Pan quality to them. The book begins: O. P. Pym, the colossal Pym, that vast and rolling figure, who never knew what he was to write about until he dipped grandly, an author in such demand that on the foggy evening which starts our story his publishers have had his boots removed lest he slip thoughtlessly round the corner before his work is done, as was the great man's way-shall we begin with him or with Tommy, who has just arrived in London carrying his little box and leading a lady by the hand? It was Pym, as we are about to see, who in the beginning held Tommy up to the public gaze, Pym who first noticed his remarkable indifference to female society, Pym who gave him-But, alack, does no one remember Pym for himself; is the king of the Penny Number already no more than a button that once upon a time kept Tommy's person together? And we are at the night when they first met! Let us hasten into Marylebone, before little Tommy arrives and Pym is swallowed like an oyster. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing. ... Read more

Book Description
1914. Scottish dramatist and novelist known for the whimsy and sentimental fantasy of his work, Barrie became world famous with his play and story about Peter Pan. His play, Der Tag is a thinly veiled WWI propaganda piece. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing. ... Read more

Book Description
A story that traces the boyhood of a "man about town" - beginning at age five, in England, his trials and tribulations, on to becoming a young man. The celebrated Tommy first comes into view on a dirty London stair and he was in sexless garments which were all he had and he was five and so though we are looking at him we must do it sideways lest he sit down hurriedly to hide them. That inscrutable face, which made the clubmen of his later days uneasy and even puzzled the ladies while he was making love to them, was already his.

Press comments at the time of original publication:

"Those who know a piece of life when they see it, and who care for the ultimate charm of a bit of pure literature, will read and re-read Mr. Barrie's masterpiece." - Hamilton W. Mabie

"A work of fiction that is as original as it is fascinating. Here, indeed, is life itself and all the accompaniments thereof." - Joel Chandler Harris

"It has wonderful merits ... In a degree almost unexampled in modern literature ... Its power is astounding." - The Speaker, London

"Every phase of its hero's development is delightfully set forth; and the other personages - and they are countless - are all drawn with a master's hand." - New York Times ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Wow!
I had known from "Peter Pan" and "The Little Minister" that Barrie was a great author, but I think this is the best I've read of his, so far.

He manages to create one of those characters that you lovedespite (because of?) his faults, and he surrounds him with a greatsupporting cast and many subplots. I recommend this highly to anyone wholikes Barrie's work (or as an introduction to it). ... Read more

Book Description
1897. Barrie, Scottish journalist, playwright, and children's book writer, became world famous with his play and story about Peter Pan. Along with The Admirable Crichton, Quality Street is considered one of Barrie's two best plays. In Margaret Ogilvy Barrie reminisces about his mother. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.Download Description
Well, with break of day she wakes and sits up in bed and is standing in the middle of the room. So nimble was she in the mornings (one of our troubles with her) that these three actions must be considered as one; she is on the floor before you have time to count them. She has strict orders not to rise until her fire is lit, and having broken them there is a demure elation on her face. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Curious, puzzling, vivid
JM Barrie wrote this curious memoir of his mother after her death. I don't know much about Barrie's personal life, I found it psychologically qute strange. He seemed obsessed with the idea of being her son and being closeto her, yearning for her to mother him and to remain forever a little boy. (Yes - this was the writer of Peter Pan all right).He gives a vividpictures of a provocative, strong minded, intelligent Scotswoman who wantedthings very much HER way and was extremely mysterious and hard to pin down.Yet Barrie clearly got a great deal out of his relationship with her andgenuinely loved her. This touching book made me feel there was a great dealmore to find out about Barrie and now I want to read more about him. I dorecommend this book. ... Read more