Milne, Winnie the Pooh, 1sUS Ed. 1st Print 1926

"Winnie the Pooh", by A.A. Milne, with illustrations by E.H. Shepard, published by E.P. Dutton, First American Edition, First Printing (which was issued in October 1926); All points of the first printing are present-- 'Copyright, 1926 by Dutton', no printings are listed on the copyright page, first state with red map on the endpapers and some pages slightly shorter at the bottom edges.

Hard boards, original pictorial green cloth stamped in gold (some surface wear: see photos]; 5.1/4" x 7.3/4"; the endpapers are maps; owner's label on top of front endpaper; the bookplate is in the middle of the title page; 159 pages + colophon, [upper page edges have barely visible water stain [no smell], one page has repaired edge 1/2" crease- see photo]; a little soiling and a little wear, very good condition.

Alan Alexander Milne (1882-1956) was a noted English writer, primarily a playwright, before the huge success of Winnie the Pooh overshadowed all his previous work. Milne served in both World Wars, joining the British Army in World War I, and as a captain of the British Home Guard in World War II. He is the father of bookseller Christopher Robin Milne, upon whom the character Christopher Robin is based.

When Christopher Robin was a year old, he was given a stuffed bear from Harrods, and later a tiger, pig, and a donkey. The idea of bringing these toys to life in a children's book is credited to Daphne Milne. In 1924, A.A. Milne had published "When We Were Very Young," a collection of verses, which had met with great success on both sides of the Atlantic. In 1926, "Winnie-the-Pooh" was released, promptly establishing Milne as a major author of children's books. "Now We Are Six," a second collection of verses, followed in 1927. In 1928 came "The House at Pooh Corner." All four were illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard, who visited the Milne's at Cotchford Farm and based his drawings on Christopher Robin and his toys.

Before illustrating Milne's next volume, "Winnie-the-Pooh," Shepard traveled to Sussex, where the Milne family lived. He visited the pine trees, the stream, the bridge, and Christopher Robin and his stuffed animals, on which the illustrations for the later three Pooh books were based. The success of the Pooh books made Shepard famous and widely sought after. For nearly thirty years he illustrated books, for both adults and children.

Ernest Howard Shepard (1879-1976) was an English artist and book illustrator. He is known especially for illustrations of the anthropomorphic animal and soft toy characters in "The Wind in the Willows" and "Winnie-the-Pooh."

Shepard attended St. Paul's School, Heatherley's Art School, and the Royal Academy Schools. His first picture was exhibited in the Royal Academy in 1901. Later, he supported himself by producing book illustrations, oil paintings, and drawings for illustrated papers.

In 1915, Shepard was commissioned by the Royal Artillery and served in France, Belgium, and Italy. He returned to civilian life in 1919. He was elected to the editorial board of Punch magazine, where he met A.A. Milne's publisher, who asked Shepard if he would be interested in illustrating a book of Milne's verses for children. The first edition of "When We Were Very Young" sold out on the day Methuen published it, in 1924. "I had been paid fifty pounds for the job," Shepard later recalled. "the next day Methuen decided to give me a check for one hundred pounds as a bonus."

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