Books

First editions, first impressions, each signed by Milne and Shepard on the title pages. 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 "Teddy Bear" in Milne's poetry collection When We Were Very Young (1924) and his story for the London Evening News, "The Wrong Sort of Bees", which later provided the opening of his follow-up book Winnie-the-Pooh (1926). This story collection was an immediate success and garnered even more enthusiastic reviews than its poetic predecessor. Now We Are Six followed in 1927 and took just two months to eclipse the sales records of the previous two books. The final book, The House at Pooh Corner (1928), was received with a delight tinged with sadness. The Times Literary Supplement "congratulated Milne on deciding to avoid 'the temptation to repeat his successful formula mechanically'", though it was "sad to see the stories end" (Thwaite, p. 336). When We Were Very Young is in the second state, as usual, with page ix numbered. The dust jacket for Winnie-the-Pooh is in the first state, with "117th Thousand" on the rear flap. Four works, octavo. Original blue, green, red, and pink cloth, spines lettered in gilt, front covers with pictorial designs and ruled borders in gilt, final three works with illustrated endpapers, top edges gilt. With dust jackets. Housed in a red half morocco solander box by Sangorski & Sutcliffe. Line drawings by E. H. Shepard. Armorial bookplate on front pastedowns of Cecil Francis Joseph Beausire (1898-1972), a noted art collector who bequeathed his English watercolours to the Walker Art Gallery. Cloth and gilt bright, slight lean to spines, spine ends and corners rubbed, usual browning to free endpapers; unclipped jackets a little nicked and soiled, mild toning to spines, vertical crease to rear panel of When We Were Very Young: a near-fine set in like jackets. Ann Thwaite, A. A. Milne: His Life, 1990.

When We Were Very Young is a best-selling book of poetry by A. A. Milne. It is the first volume of verse written for children, for which Milne is most widely known. The book is filled with verses that reflect a playful innocence that has been enjoyed by both young and adult readers.