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