Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne, UK First Editions, 4 Volume Set, 1925-1929, with Tipped-in Signed Letter by Milne, 1927

Milne, A.A. When We Were Very Young. Winnie-The-Pooh. Now We Are Six. The House at Pooh Corner. London: Methuen & Co. Ltd., 1924, 1926, 1927, 1928. All first UK editions, first printings. Four works, Octavos. Illustrations throughout by E. H. Shepard. Stunningly rebound in full Moroccan leather, with custom gilt stamps and tooling to boards, raised bands, gilt titles, and gilt tooling to the spines, new endpapers with gilt dentelle. With A. A. Milne signed and inscribed A Charming Beggar typewritten letter, dated December 1, 1927, tipped-in to front free endpaper of Now We Are Six. 

This is a complete, first edition leather-bound set of A. A. Milne's classic children's books, based on the adventures of Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh.  The set includes all first U.K. editions of the four titles, published by Methuen & Co. Ltd., in London, in November 1924, October 1926, October 1927, and October 1928. The first edition of Now We Are Six includes a tipped-in, typewritten letter signed by A. A. Milne, dated December 1, 1927 and addressed to Miss Taylor, in which he humorously appeals for donations to the Hampstead General Hospital, noting that while the hospital would like £10,000 he would understand “something nearer threepence.” The letter relays Milne’s characteristic charm and wit, and adds a notable association feature to the set. These four volumes are illustrated throughout by Ernest H. Shepard and are rebound in beautiful full leather, with intricate gold embossing and tooling, gilt titles and raised bands to the spines, new marbled endpapers, and a matching blue cloth slipcase embossed with gilt butterflies and an inlay illustration of Winnie the Pooh. 

A. Milne (1882–1956) & Ernest H. Shepard (1879–1976) were the author and illustrator of the Winnie the Pooh books. Before Pooh, Alan Alexander Milne had a thriving career as a humorist and playwright. In 1904, shortly after graduating from Cambridge, he published his first piece in Punch, and by 1906 was an assistant editor. His plays and novels, including the popular detective story The Red House Mystery, were enormously successful. Ernest Howard Shepard showed aptitude for drawing from an early age. While attending the Royal Academy Schools he began submitting illustrations to magazines, and this gradually became his primary occupation. In 1906 Punch accepted his drawings for the first time, and he became a regular contributor by 1914.

In 1924, A. A. Milne had written a series of children’s verses for Punch and Shepard was suggested as the illustrator. The artist’s drawings had an instant appeal, and the verses and illustrations were published the same year in book form as When We Were Very Young. When We Were Very Young is the first and the scarcest of the four Pooh books with an initial print run of 5,175 regular trade copies. It was first published in London on November 6, 1924 to immense acclaim, and the first printing sold out in one day. By the end of the year more than 53,000 copies had been printed of what The Times called "the greatest children's book since Alice" (Thwaite, p. 286).

After the huge success of When We Were Very Young, Milne was asked to contribute a story to the London Evening News. "The Wrong Sort of Bees", published on Christmas Eve in 1925, was based on a bedtime story that Milne had told his son Christopher. It starred Christopher's stuffed bear, which had made his first public appearance in the poem "Teddy Bear", published in Punch in 1924 and later in When We Were Very Young. The original toy was a top-of-the-range Alpha Farnell bought at Harrods for Christopher Milne's first birthday, known initially as Edward or Edward Bear, then later rechristened Winnie-the-Pooh, after a favorite bear cub at London zoo.

Milne began planning a second and third book of poetry for children. In a January 1926 letter to his brother Ken he included it as number one in a list of "things which ought to be done". He described "a book of verses (about 15 done to date) to appear in 1927 or 1928" (Thwaite, p. 293). Winnie-the-Pooh was first published in London on October 14, 1926 in an edition of 30,000 regular trade copies. The book was an immediate success and garnered even more enthusiastic reviews than its predecessor, with one critic writing, "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 p. 317).

By the time that Winnie-the-Pooh was published in late 1926, half the poems for this third book, Now We Are Six, were already complete. Now We Are Six was published on October 13, 1927. It took only two months for Now We Are Six to eclipse the sales records of the previous two books.

This first edition of Now We Are Six is enhanced by a tipped-in example of A. A. Milne’s celebrated donation appeal letter, later known as A Charming Beggar. The letter is typewritten on letterhead, with the address printed in orange ink as “13 MALLORD STREET / CHELSEA, S.W. 3 / TEL. KENSINGTON 2074.” It is dated “December 1st, 1927” and addressed “Dear Miss Taylor.” Milne has inscribed and signed it in blue ink at the bottom right, closing with “Your humble and grateful servant / A: A: Milne.” The letter is a characteristically lighthearted request for contributions on behalf of the Hampstead General Hospital, remarking that “What the Hampstead General Hospital would like is £10,000, and it would be a simplification of its finances if you were charming enough to send them a cheque for that amount in the enclosed envelope; but if you would prefer to think of something nearer threepence I shall understand.” 

As noted in Thwaite’s biography, Milne “wrote an extremely successful appeal letter on behalf of a hospital, signing thousands of letters and writing hundreds of thank yous,” beginning with an anecdote about “the story of the man who took his friend to the bar.” The full text later appeared in the January 25, 1928 issue of The Outlook, where writer Lawrence F. Abbott introduced it by observing that the appeal “puts the whole subject in its cheerful and proper light” and concluded that Milne proved to be “not only a charming playwright, a charming poet, and a charmer of children, but a charming beggar as well.” 

Milne began planning his final Pooh book in 1927. Three years of publicity and demanding writing schedules were taking their toll on the family, and Milne longed to return full-time to adult literature, telling his brother that "after one more Pooh book I must think of something else. In fact, it's time I tried a novel" (Thwaite, p. 328). Christopher Robin was growing up, soon to leave for boarding school, and The House at Pooh Corner would be a farewell to the cherished childhood series. But first there was an introduction to be made. Milne had bought his son a stuffed tiger, "Tigger", and told Shepard that he was longing to see the illustrations for this new character, which would become one of the author's most popular creations.

Published on October 11, 1928 in an edition of 75,000 regular trade copies, The House at Pooh Corner was received by critics with a delight, tinged with sadness for the end of the series (Thwaite, p. 336). Although Milne and Shepard continued producing work for adults, the four Pooh books established them as one of the most important partnerships in children’s literature.

CONDITION:

When We Were Very Young. London: Methuen & Co., (1924). First edition, first printing. Octavo. Fine condition. Rebound in beautiful full navy leather with striking gold embossing and tooling to the front and back boards, raised bands and gilt titles and tooling to the spine, new marbled endpapers with gilt dentelle. Very clean inside. Paper is healthy. Illustrations by Shepard. Stated first edition. 

Winnie-the-Pooh. London: Methuen & Co., (1926). First edition, first printing. Octavo. Fine condition. Rebound in beautiful full green leather with striking gold embossing and tooling to the front and back boards, raised bands and gilt titles and tooling to the spine, new marbled endpapers with gilt dentelle. Very clean inside. Paper is healthy. Illustrations by Shepard.  Stated first edition. 

Now We Are Six. London: Methuen & Co., (1927). First edition, first printing. Octavo. Fine condition. Rebound in beautiful full red leather with striking gold embossing and tooling to the front and back boards, raised bands and gilt titles and tooling to the spine, new marbled endpapers with gilt dentelle. Very clean inside. Paper is healthy, mild offsetting to half title page, as found in almost every other copy. Illustrations by Shepard. Stated first edition. 

[With] Signed and inscribed typewritten letter by A.A. Milne, tipped-in to front free endpaper.  Very good condition. The letter has some chips to the upper blank margin at the top left corner, not affecting the printed letterhead or any text in the letter. The letter has moderate speckles of brown spots in vertical lines and toning. The letter is inscribed and signed by A. A. Milne in blue ink: "Your humble and grateful servant / A: A: Milne". Signature is legible. The letter is dated "December 1st, 1927" and addressed "Dear Miss Taylor". 

The House At Pooh Corner. London: Methuen & Co., (1928). First edition, first printing. Octavo. Fine condition. Bound in beautiful full tan leather with striking gold embossing, raised bands. Rebound in beautiful full orange leather with striking gold embossing and tooling to the front and back boards, raised bands and gilt titles and tooling to the spine, new marbled endpapers with gilt dentelle. Very clean inside. Paper is healthy. Illustrations by Shepard. Stated first edition. 

All four volumes are housed in a custom navy cloth slipcase, which features an inset image of Winnie the Pooh and gilt-embossed butterfly stamps on the front.

Dimensions: ~ 7 3/4"H x 5 1/4"W x 1"D each book. Slipcase: 8 1/4"H x 5 9/16"W x 4"D. 

References: Thwaite, Ann "A. A. Milne: His Life" (1990); Lawrence Abbott's column "A Charming Beggar" from The Outlook, January 25, 1928, is online at "The Unz Review".

Accompanied by our company's letter of authenticity.