A. A. Milne – The House at Pooh Corner – 1928 First Edition, Deluxe Red Leather Issue, Original Glassine Dustwrapper and Publisher’s Box

MILNE, A. A. Illustrated by E. H. Shepard. The House at Pooh Corner. London: Methuen & Co. Ltd., 1928. First edition, first impression; publisher’s deluxe leather issue. Octavo. Original red leather, elaborately decorated in gilt, all edges gilt, pictorial endpapers and red silk marker. Complete with the original glassine dustwrapper and publisher’s labelled presentation box.

Condition: Fine in near fine glassine dustwrapper and very good indeed original box.

An exceptional example of the first edition of one of the most celebrated works of twentieth-century children’s literature, preserved in its original deluxe presentation. The finest copy we have handled in over 30 years of bookselling.

Description

First edition, first impression, of The House at Pooh Corner, published by Methuen in 1928, in the publisher’s handsome deluxe red leather binding, retaining both the original protective glassine dustwrapper and the original labelled presentation box.

The fourth and final volume of A. A. Milne’s celebrated Christopher Robin books, The House at Pooh Corner brings readers back to the Hundred Acre Wood for a collection of stories that have become part of the enduring landscape of English children’s literature. It introduces Tigger, one of the most beloved characters in the Pooh stories, and includes the invention of Poohsticks, the game played by dropping sticks into a stream and watching them emerge on the other side of a bridge.

Milne’s gently humorous prose, his remarkable understanding of childhood and his affectionate portraits of Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Rabbit, Owl, Kanga, Roo and Christopher Robin are complemented throughout by Ernest H. Shepard’s incomparable illustrations. Their collaboration created one of the most instantly recognisable fictional worlds in children’s literature.

The book concludes with the deeply moving final chapter, In Which Christopher Robin and Pooh Come to an Enchanted Place, and We Leave Them There. Its treatment of childhood, friendship and the passage of time gives the work a particular emotional resonance beyond its appeal as a children’s story.

The Deluxe First Edition

Alongside the familiar cloth-bound first edition, Methuen produced this special deluxe issue, bound in richly coloured leather and designed as a particularly attractive gift or presentation volume.

The original red leather binding is beautifully decorated in gilt. The upper cover features Christopher Robin and Eeyore within an elegant double-ruled border, with decorative floral corner ornaments. The spine is lettered in gilt and embellished with a delightful succession of characters and foliage inspired by Shepard’s illustrations.

The volume has gilt edges on all three sides, pink pictorial endpapers and its original red silk page marker. The endpapers are particularly appealing, displaying a continuous silhouette illustration of Christopher Robin and the inhabitants of the Hundred Acre Wood beneath an expansive sky.

The book was originally protected by a plain, fragile glassine dustwrapper and supplied in a grey cardboard presentation box with printed paper labels identifying the title, author, illustrator, binding and original price of 10s. 6d.

A. A. Milne and E. H. Shepard

Alan Alexander Milne (1882–1956) was already an established playwright, novelist and contributor to Punch before achieving international recognition through his children’s books. Inspired by his son Christopher Robin and the family’s toys, Milne created characters whose personalities, conversations and adventures have delighted generations of readers.

Ernest Howard Shepard (1879–1976), also closely associated with Punch, provided the illustrations that gave Milne’s characters their definitive visual identities. His delicate line drawings, expressive characterisation and affectionate observation of the English countryside are integral to the books’ enduring success.

The four Christopher Robin volumes — When We Were Very Young (1924), Winnie-the-Pooh (1926), Now We Are Six (1927) and The House at Pooh Corner (1928) — are among the great achievements of British illustrated children’s literature.

Condition

Fine in near fine original glassine dustwrapper, housed in the very good indeed original publisher’s box.

The red leather binding is exceptionally clean, bright and fresh, with only the most minor creasing and no appreciable wear. The gilt decoration and lettering remain beautifully preserved. The binding is firm and tight. Internally, the pages are very clean and fresh, with the text and Ernest H. Shepard’s illustrations in particularly pleasing condition. The pictorial endpapers, gilt page edges and original red silk marker are all retained. The original glassine dustwrapper is in near fine condition, with slight chipping and wear, an exceptional survival for such a fragile protective covering.

The original grey cardboard presentation box is in very good indeed condition, showing some natural signs of age and handling. Particularly noteworthy is the exceptionally fresh printed label, which has none of the usual foxing which is so often encountered.

Taken together, the freshness of the binding, the beautiful internal condition, the surviving glassine and the remarkably well-preserved box make this an outstanding example.

This is the finest copy of the deluxe first edition that we have handled in over 30 years of bookselling.

The accompanying photographs show the actual copy offered for sale and form part of the condition description.

Bibliographical Details

• Author: A. A. Milne
• Illustrator: Ernest H. Shepard
• Title: The House at Pooh Corner
• Publisher: Methuen & Co. Ltd., London
• Date: 1928
• Edition: First edition, first impression; deluxe leather issue
• Format: Octavo
• Binding: Original publisher’s red leather, richly decorated in gilt
• Illustrations: Numerous illustrations throughout by E. H. Shepard, with pictorial endpapers
• Edges: All edges gilt
• Additional features: Original red silk page marker
• Dustwrapper: Original glassine, near fine with slight chipping
• Box: Original publisher’s grey cardboard presentation box with printed labels, very good indeed
• Condition: Fine
• Stock code: 004281
• Location: Bookroom

Why Buy from Hornseys?

Established in 1976, Hornseys is an independent gallery and antiquarian bookseller based in Ripon, North Yorkshire, specialising in carefully selected rare books, first editions, illustrated books and works of particular artistic or historical interest.

We handle and examine our books individually, paying close attention to bibliographical detail, originality, completeness and condition.

This exceptional copy of The House at Pooh Corner has been selected for its remarkable state of preservation and the survival of its original deluxe presentation.

We provide free tracked and insured delivery within the United Kingdom and offer an unconditional 14-day return policy, provided the item is returned in the same condition in which it was supplied.