The Christopher Robin Verses with Letter from Christopher Robin Milne

6C A. A. Milne. Ernest H. Shepard. With When We Were Very Young & Now We Are Six. Bound by Bayntun-Rivière. London: Methuen & Co., 1932. First Combined Edition. With laid in Letter from Christopher Robin Milne to Vincent Seligman.

Notes

The Christopher Robin Verses brings together the beloved poems of A. A. Milne’s two celebrated collections, When We Were Very Young (1924) and Now We Are Six (1927), uniting the whimsical world of childhood imagination in a single volume. Inspired by Milne’s young son, Christopher Robin, these charming verses capture the innocence, curiosity, humor, and everyday adventures of childhood through memorable characters, playful rhymes, and gentle observations of the world. 

Alan Alexander Milne was an English author, playwright, and humorist whose imaginative storytelling created one of the most beloved worlds in children's literature. Originally a successful contributor to Punch magazine and a playwright, Milne drew inspiration from his son Christopher Robin and his childhood experiences to create the poems and stories that would bring him international fame. His literary partnership with Ernest Howard Shepard, a celebrated English illustrator and fellow Punch contributor, proved instrumental in establishing the enduring charm of his children's books. Trained at the Royal Academy Schools, Shepard developed a distinctive artistic style characterized by delicate pen-and-ink drawings, expressive characters, and gentle humor. His illustrations for When We Were Very Young helped establish the visual character of Milne's imaginative world, while his later depictions of Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, and their companions became among the most recognizable images in children's literature. 

Christopher Robin Milne was the only son of celebrated author A. A. Milne and his wife Daphne. He was immortalized in children's literature as the young companion of Winnie-the-Pooh. Beyond the fictional Hundred Acre Wood, Christopher Robin grew up surrounded by a close circle of family friends, including the Seligman family, whose relationship with the Milnes extended across generations. A. A. Milne in fact presented the same Vincent Seligman to whom the laid-in letter is addressed the first of his signed copies on vellum of the House at Pooh Corner with four lines of verse on the flap and Seligman had previously dedicated his book Oxford Oddities, to Milne. The laid-in letter accompanying this book addressed to Vincent Seligman reads:

”Dear Vincent, I simply loved the stamps & thank you very much indeed for sending them to me - They were lovely ones. I am riding now, every day, on a dear little one called Cracker. Love from Christopher Robin Milne.”

Description 

Bound by Bayntun-Riviere in pebbled green leather. Multiple gilt pictorial bocks tot he boards with front titled ‘When We Were Very Young’ and the rear, ‘Now We Are Six.’ All edges gilt. Triple gilt ruled inner dentelles. Marbled endpapers. Illustrated. Minimal minor foxing throughout. Very fine condition overall. Binding like new.