Milne, A[lan] A[lexander]. WHEN WE WERE VERY YOUNG . . . With Decorations by Ernest H. Shepard. London: Methuen & Co., [1924]. x, [2], 99, [1] pages. Original dark blue cloth, illustrated and lettered in gilt; top edge gilt. 19.5 x 13 cm. About very good in fair dust jacket. The book shows slight rubbing to the spine ends and corners, mild tanning to the endpapers, and a few traces of light, marginal soiling, and it is modestly over-opened in several places. The jacket has multiple tape repairs, including one on the recto of the front panel and the rest on the verso, and several chips to the spine panel, with slight loss to the title.
FIRST EDITION, first issue with no page number on the first page of the contents, in the first state of the dust jacket with the price of 7/6 net on the spine panel. SIGNED BY MILNE AND SHEPARD on the title page. The first of A.A. Milne's celebrated children's books, When We Were Very Young was an immediate publishing success. While referred to only as the "Teddy Bear," Winnie-the-Pooh here makes his first appearance in a book, and he is unmistakably depicted in several drawings by Shepard. Also included is the illustrated, four-page prospectus for Winnie-the-Pooh (1926), laid-in.
[Offered together with:]
Milne, A[lan] A[lexander]. AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED. London, Sept. 1, 1918. Two-page letter written on both sides of a sheet of stationery measuring 19 x 13.5 cm, bearing Milne's printed address (15 Embankment Gardens, Chelsea) and phone number. With original mailing envelope, addressed by Milne to Mrs. Steel at Cotesfield, Wortley, near Sheffield.
Writing during the final weeks of the First World War, Milne thanks Mrs. Steel for some lettuce and grouse, and extends an open invitation for her to visit him and his wife, Daphne, in London. He also makes lively comments about Madame Tussaud's, the color choices for their newly painted residence, and the upcoming performance of one of his plays.
The letter reads, in part:
“ . . . Daff left the thank-you-for-the-lettuce to me – rather unwisely, as I am always bad about letters . . . // We are coming to see you in peace-time, with or without an invitation. I love doing nothing in the country. I also love doing it in London, but it’s more conspicuous there . . . [When] you come up to see the sights, be sure to let us know. Our newly decorated hall in gamboge and sepia is well worth a visit after Madame Tussauds and the Tower of London. When you go to Madame Tussaud’s don’t be taken in by the breathing woman [i.e. Sleeping Beauty] in the entrance hall. It’s a fake. I thought I’d warn you. Some of our country visitors think that it’s Madame Tussaud herself, resting after counting the six pences. // We are now painting the drawing-room in violet and white. That is to say, Daff does the brush and pail part, and I come home at 7 o’clock and say ‘Rotten.’ Then she does it again. // I’ve got a one-act play coming on next week at a music hall. So we’re beginning to swank again. But it’s only running for a week. So we’re not swanking very much. // Well I was really supposed to be thanking you for the lettuce. Which I do very heartily, in which my wife joins me as it leaves me at present. // Yours vy sincerely, A.A. Milne."
While seemingly commonplace, the comments about painting highlight a recurring theme in Milne's marriage. As his biographer, Ann Thwaite observes, it was "Daphne who made the ground rules, who determined the style of their marriage. It was she who decided everything practical - not just the color schemes, but the furniture and even the light fittings." --A.A. Milne: His Life, p. 181. The subject of letter writing was also a continual source of commentary by Milne, who frequently jested about Daphne writing most of his thank-you notes for him (see Thwaite, p. 180). The play Milne mentions was The Boy Comes Home, which premiered on Sept. 9, 1918, at the Victoria Palace Theatre. We were unable to learn anything about Mrs. Steel or her association with Milne. However, on the front free endpaper of the book, there appears a small, neat monogram, "R.G.S.," which were perhaps her initials. These materials (book, prospectus, and letter) were previously sold together by Sotheby's in 1986 (cat. 5489-196).
A signed copy of the first installment in the “Winnie-the-Pooh” series, the scarce prospectus for Winnie-the-Pooh, and a delightful Milne letter. Price for the lot: $4,500
To order, please email us directly. Terms as stated below.
FIRST EDITION, first issue with no page number on the first page of the contents, in the first state of the dust jacket with the price of 7/6 net on the spine panel. SIGNED BY MILNE AND SHEPARD on the title page. The first of A.A. Milne's celebrated children's books, When We Were Very Young was an immediate publishing success. While referred to only as the "Teddy Bear," Winnie-the-Pooh here makes his first appearance in a book, and he is unmistakably depicted in several drawings by Shepard. Also included is the illustrated, four-page prospectus for Winnie-the-Pooh (1926), laid-in.
[Offered together with:]
Milne, A[lan] A[lexander]. AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED. London, Sept. 1, 1918. Two-page letter written on both sides of a sheet of stationery measuring 19 x 13.5 cm, bearing Milne's printed address (15 Embankment Gardens, Chelsea) and phone number. With original mailing envelope, addressed by Milne to Mrs. Steel at Cotesfield, Wortley, near Sheffield.
Writing during the final weeks of the First World War, Milne thanks Mrs. Steel for some lettuce and grouse, and extends an open invitation for her to visit him and his wife, Daphne, in London. He also makes lively comments about Madame Tussaud's, the color choices for their newly painted residence, and the upcoming performance of one of his plays.
The letter reads, in part:
“ . . . Daff left the thank-you-for-the-lettuce to me – rather unwisely, as I am always bad about letters . . . // We are coming to see you in peace-time, with or without an invitation. I love doing nothing in the country. I also love doing it in London, but it’s more conspicuous there . . . [When] you come up to see the sights, be sure to let us know. Our newly decorated hall in gamboge and sepia is well worth a visit after Madame Tussauds and the Tower of London. When you go to Madame Tussaud’s don’t be taken in by the breathing woman [i.e. Sleeping Beauty] in the entrance hall. It’s a fake. I thought I’d warn you. Some of our country visitors think that it’s Madame Tussaud herself, resting after counting the six pences. // We are now painting the drawing-room in violet and white. That is to say, Daff does the brush and pail part, and I come home at 7 o’clock and say ‘Rotten.’ Then she does it again. // I’ve got a one-act play coming on next week at a music hall. So we’re beginning to swank again. But it’s only running for a week. So we’re not swanking very much. // Well I was really supposed to be thanking you for the lettuce. Which I do very heartily, in which my wife joins me as it leaves me at present. // Yours vy sincerely, A.A. Milne."
While seemingly commonplace, the comments about painting highlight a recurring theme in Milne's marriage. As his biographer, Ann Thwaite observes, it was "Daphne who made the ground rules, who determined the style of their marriage. It was she who decided everything practical - not just the color schemes, but the furniture and even the light fittings." --A.A. Milne: His Life, p. 181. The subject of letter writing was also a continual source of commentary by Milne, who frequently jested about Daphne writing most of his thank-you notes for him (see Thwaite, p. 180). The play Milne mentions was The Boy Comes Home, which premiered on Sept. 9, 1918, at the Victoria Palace Theatre. We were unable to learn anything about Mrs. Steel or her association with Milne. However, on the front free endpaper of the book, there appears a small, neat monogram, "R.G.S.," which were perhaps her initials. These materials (book, prospectus, and letter) were previously sold together by Sotheby's in 1986 (cat. 5489-196).
A signed copy of the first installment in the “Winnie-the-Pooh” series, the scarce prospectus for Winnie-the-Pooh, and a delightful Milne letter. Price for the lot: $4,500
To order, please email us directly. Terms as stated below.
Terms of Sale: All items are offered subject to prior sale. All items are guaranteed to be as described in our listings and to your complete satisfaction. Returns are accepted for any reason whatsoever within ten (10) days of delivery with prior notification (please email or phone for instructions). For new customers, payment is expected at the time of ordering. Unless other arrangements are made, a PayPal invoice will be sent and may be paid with any major credit card. Established customers and dealers known to us may be invoiced with 30-day terms and are invited to pay by check. Shipping is additional and will be billed at cost. North Carolina residents must pay sales tax.
Dealer discount available. Institutions billed according to their needs.
