Winnie-the-Pooh

6RR A. A. Milne, decorations by E. H. Shepard. London: Methuen & Co., 1926. First Edition.

Notes

A. A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh is a gentle, humorous children’s story first published in 1926, centered on the adventures of a well-meaning but slow-thinking bear and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood. Inspired by Milne’s young son, Christopher Robin Milne, and the boy’s stuffed animals, the book explores friendship, imagination, and childhood innocence through simple plots and playful language. Though written for children, its wit and philosophical undertones—especially Pooh’s earnest reflections on life—have made it equally beloved by adults, helping the story endure across generations as a classic of English children’s literature.

The book’s lasting influence is inseparable from the illustrations of E. H. Shepard, whose pen-and-ink drawings gave Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, and the rest of the characters their iconic visual identities. Shepard based many of the landscapes on Ashdown Forest in England, grounding the fantasy world in a recognizable real place. His illustrations complemented Milne’s text with warmth and subtle humor, shaping how readers imagined the characters long before later adaptations. Milne himself had served in World War I and initially wrote plays and satirical pieces for adults, but the success of Winnie-the-Pooh ultimately defined his legacy—sometimes to his frustration—while Shepard’s artwork helped secure the story’s permanent place in literary and cultural history.

Following the success of Winnie-the-Pooh, A. A. Milne continued the adventures of these characters in The House at Pooh Corner (1928), which serves as a direct sequel and is the final major Pooh story written by Milne. Chronologically, Winnie-the-Pooh comes after Milne’s poetry collections for children, When We Were Very Young (1924) and Now We Are Six (1927), both of which also feature Christopher Robin and Pooh in verse form. Together, these four books make up the core of Milne’s Pooh canon, with Winnie-the-Pooh standing as the first full prose narrative and the foundation upon which the later stories and poems expand the world of the Hundred Acre Wood.

Description 

Green canvas binding with gilt illustration and borders on upper board. Map endpapers of the Hundred Acre Wood with yellowish shadow down the page. Illustrations throughout. Minimal bumping to points and edge wear to foot of spine. Very fine condition.

Original paper dust jacket with ‘117th Thousand When We Were Very Young’ on lower flap. Tear to title on spine but still attached with tape applied to folded corners to reinforce. Chipping to points and head and foot of spine. Good condition all things considered.