A. A. Milne (illustrated by E. H. Shepard) First Editions

• The Red House Mystery — 1922 · Methuen & Co.UK Methuen first, 1922 on the title page, with no later-impression statement on the verso; bound in publisher's green cloth, blind-lettered to the upper cover and gilt-lettered to the spine, with a publisher's catalogue bound in at the rear. Milne's only detective novel and a Haycraft-Queen cornerstone. The UK Methuen 1922 edition precedes the US E. P. Dutton 1922 edition and is the true first. Methuen reprinted heavily; later impressions are stated on the verso. The US Dutton 1922 edition (red cloth, gilt-stamped spine and front cover) is the first US, a first-thus rather than the true first.
• When We Were Very Young — 1924 · Methuen & Co.UK Methuen first edition, published 6 November 1924, in blue cloth blocked in gilt, top edge gilt. The recognised first-issue point is on the contents leaf: in the first state the page number 'ix' is ABSENT (the page is unnumbered); later states have 'ix' printed. Copyright leaf reads 'First Published in 1924'. The first-state dust jacket is the priced jacket, with the original published price printed on the…. The UK Methuen edition is the true first; the first US edition (E. P. Dutton, 1924) follows. This was the debut of Christopher Robin in print and predates the Pooh stories. Both are collected; Methuen precedes. Presence of 'ix' printed on the contents leaf marks a later state within the first edition; an edition/impression statement on the verso marks a later printing. The US Dutton edition lacks the Methuen imprint. A printed ISBN indicates a modern reprint.
• Winnie-the-Pooh — 1926 · MethuenUK Methuen first edition, published 14 October 1926: ordinary trade issue in dark green cloth, gilt-blocked (Pooh/Christopher Robin design to the front board, gilt spine lettering); front and rear endpapers printed with the '100 Aker Wood' map; the copyright leaf reads 'First Published in 1926' with no later-impression or reprint statement on the verso. First state is the yellow pictorial dust jacket bearing the…. The UK Methuen edition (14 October 1926) is the true first. The US E. P. Dutton edition, also 1926, followed and is the first American edition (Dutton's own signed large-paper limited ran to 200 numbered + 26 lettered copies). Both the Methuen trade first and the Dutton first are collected; Methuen precedes. Because both trade issues are green cloth, distinguish them by the imprint and the 'First Published in…. Later Methuen/Dutton printings add an impression or 'Second Edition' statement on the verso; any reprint line rules out a first. The distinguishing features are the gilt-decorated green cloth, the 100 Aker Wood endpaper map, and a clean 'First Published in 1926' copyright leaf. A printed ISBN indicates a modern reprint.
• Now We Are Six — 1927 · Methuen & Co.UK Methuen first edition, published October 1927: standard trade issue in maroon/dark-red cloth with gilt ruling and gilt vignettes (Christopher Robin with toy train to the front board, Pooh and Piglet to the rear), gilt spine lettering, top edge gilt, the rest uncut; pink endpapers illustrated by Shepard. Copyright leaf reads 'First Published in 1927' with no later-impression statement. The first-state dust…. The UK Methuen edition is the true first, ahead of the US E. P. Dutton 1927 edition. Both are collected; Methuen precedes. Reprints carry an edition or impression statement on the verso. The genuine deluxe is the 200-copy large-paper issue in paper boards (not leather or vellum). A printed ISBN indicates a modern reprint.
• The House at Pooh Corner — 1928 · Methuen & Co.UK Methuen first edition, published October 1928, in salmon-pink cloth with gilt ruling and stamping (Christopher Robin and Pooh to the front board), gilt spine lettering, top edge gilt, the rest uncut; illustrated pink endpapers (panorama with characters in silhouette). Introduces Tigger. Copyright leaf reads 'First Published in 1928' with no later-impression statement (Haring-Smith C108). First-state dust…. The UK Methuen edition is the true first, preceding the US E. P. Dutton 1928 edition. Both are collected; Methuen precedes. Later printings carry an impression notation on the verso; on the jacket, the '189th thousand' advertised figure (rather than '179th thousand') likewise indicates a later-state jacket. The US Dutton edition and book-club copies differ in cloth and imprint. A printed ISBN indicates a modern reprint.

More Children's & YA shelves: Astrid Lindgren, Beatrix Potter, Beverly Cleary, Brian Selznick, Chris Van Allsburg, Christopher Paolini.

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