A.A. Milne
First Edition, First Impression - Illustrated by E. H. Shepard
London: Methuen & Co. Ltd., 1927. First edition. Octavo (19 x 13 cm). pp. [xii], 103.
Bound in original publisher’s deep red cloth, gilt-stamped with Shepard’s charming designs to the front board and spine, top edge gilt. Complete with the original tan dust jacket, printed in black and priced “7/6 net” to the spine. Decorative endpapers illustrated with scenes of Christopher Robin and Winnie-the-Pooh, as issued.
A particularly attractive first edition of Now We Are Six, complete in its original dust jacket, the third title in A. A. Milne’s beloved series of children’s books and the second collection of verse following When We Were Very Young.
Here Milne captures the lyrical transition from early childhood to self-awareness - “Christopher Robin, a little older now” - through verses of humour, tenderness and quiet nostalgia. Poems such as Binker, King John’s Christmas, and The End reveal Milne’s mastery of rhythm and emotional nuance, while E. H. Shepard’s delicate drawings lend warmth and wit to every page. Together, author and illustrator shaped the very language of twentieth-century childhood, their partnership rivalled only by Carroll and Tenniel before them.
This copy presents beautifully. The cloth is bright and clean, gilt still vivid, with firm, square binding and only faint toning to endpapers. The dust jacket, notoriously fragile, shows light browning, a few small chips to spine ends, and minor wear to edges, but remains complete, unrestored, and entirely original - a rarity in this condition.
Near Fine book in Very Good dust jacket. Bright, unfaded cloth with sharp gilt; jacket complete with light wear and short tears but well-preserved and highly presentable.
Now We Are Six was published in 1927 as the penultimate work in Milne’s four-volume Pooh sequence - following Winnie-the-Pooh and preceding The House at Pooh Corner. It marks Milne’s final collection of verse and a poignant farewell to the enchanted world of Christopher Robin and his companions.
Copies of the first edition in the original priced jacket have become increasingly scarce. This is a notably well-preserved and desirable example, representing both a cornerstone of English children’s literature and a landmark in illustrated book design.
