Books

First colour-illustrated edition, signed limited issue, number 182 of 300 copies signed by Shepard and finely bound by Zaehnsdorf. Milne's first collection of stories featuring the famous bear, and the second book in the series overall, was originally published in 1926 with Shepard's illustrations in black and white. Christopher Robin's stuffed bear, bought at Harrods for his first birthday, was known initially as Edward or Edward Bear. It was renamed Winnie-the-Pooh after two real animals: a favourite bear cub at London Zoo, "Winnie", and a friend's swan, which Robin christened "Pooh". The toy inspired the "Teddy Bear" poem in When We Were Very Young (1924) and a story Milne contributed to the London Evening News, "The Wrong Sort of Bees", which later provided the basis of the first chapter in Milne's follow-up book, Winnie-the-Pooh (1926). This story collection was an immediate success and garnered even more enthusiastic reviews than its poetic predecessor. One critic wrote, "when the real Christopher Robin is a little old man, children will find him waiting for them. It is the child's book of the season that seems certain to stay" (Thwaite, Life, p. 317). Shepard was commissioned by the publishers to colour his black and white illustrations in the early 1970s. Frank Herrmann, then a director at Methuen's, stated that he "began to nag Shepard about producing colour versions... but he was well into his eighties by then and his wife very much opposed the First colour-illustrated edition, signed limited issue, number 182 of 300 copies signed by Shepard and finely bound by Zaehnsdorf. Milne's first collection of stories featuring the famous bear, and the second book in the series overall, was originally published in 1926 with Shepard's illustrations in black and white. Christopher Robin's stuffed bear, bought at Harrods for his first birthday, was known initially as Edward or Edward Bear. It was renamed Winnie-the-Pooh after two real animals: a favourite bear cub at London Zoo, "Winnie", and a friend's swan, which Robin christened "Pooh". The toy inspired the "Teddy Bear" poem in When We Were Very Young (1924) and a story Milne contributed to the London Evening News, "The Wrong Sort of Bees", which later provided the basis of the first chapter in Milne's follow-up book, Winnie-the-Pooh (1926). This story collection was an immediate success and garnered even more enthusiastic reviews than its poetic predecessor. One critic wrote, "when the real Christopher Robin is a little old man, children will find him waiting for them. It is the child's book of the season that seems certain to stay" (Thwaite, Life, p. 317). Shepard was commissioned by the publishers to colour his black and white illustrations in the early 1970s. Frank Herrmann, then a director at Methuen's, stated that he "began to nag Shepard about producing colour versions... but he was well into his eighties by then and his wife very much opposed the suggestion". Herrmann writes that, over lunch, he explained "how I would make it really easy for him... and he became quite enthusiastic about the idea". Unfortunately "his wife was furious". Herrmann concludes his account noting that "Shepard wanted the unheard-of sum of £5,000 for the work, but everyone at Methuen's had agreed that it was worth it... It took him less than six weeks to finish the work. It took some time to translate all the colour work into print. It also involved a massive capital outlay. Shepard had finished his work around 1970 and the first complete colour edition didn't appear until early in 1973 (nearly fifty years after he had first illustrated the books)" (Thwaite, Brilliant Career, p. 175). READ MORE Octavo. Publisher's deluxe blue morocco by Zaehnsdorf, spine lettered in gilt, compartments with vignettes of Pooh in blind, front cover with vignette of Pooh and Christopher Robin in gilt, colour map endpapers, edges gilt. Housed in original blue card slipcase with cloth ends. Illustrated in colour throughout by E. H. Shepard. Spine slightly toned, minor abrasion to preliminary blank, extremities of slipcase a little rubbed, minor scratches to front and rear panel: a near-fine copy in a very good slipcase. Ann Thwaite, A. A. Milne: His Life, 1990; Thwaite, The Brilliant Career of Winnie-the-Pooh, 1992.

Winnie-the-Pooh, also called Pooh Bear, is a fictional anthropomorphic teddy bear created by English author A.A. Milne. The first collection of stories about the character was the book 'Winnie-the-Pooh' (1926), and this was followed by 'The House at Pooh Corner' (1928). Milne also included a poem about the bear in the children's verse book 'When We Were Very Young' (1924) and many more in 'Now We Are Six' (1927). All four volumes were illustrated by E.H. Shepard.