Is My The House at Pooh Corner a First Edition?

The points of issue

• 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 jacket bears the original published price printed on the spine; the jacket flap also carries the publisher's advertisements for the earlier Milne titles, and in the first-state jacket the advertised figure for When We Were Very Young reads '179th thousand,' updated to '189th thousand' in the later-state jacket (this figure is cited by cataloguers variously on the front or rear flap)
• A signed large-paper deluxe limited of 350 copies (cream paper boards, blue buckram spine, printed paper label) was also issued

How Methuen & Co. marked a first edition

• Since 1905: state "First published in [Year]" or "First published in Great Britain [Year]" on the copyright page of firsts, with later printings noted

Full Methuen & Co. first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Check for a number line or dated printing — the lowest number present is the printing; a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the tell.
4. Verify this is the UK true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

The UK Methuen edition is the true first, preceding the US E. P. Dutton 1928 edition. Both are collected; Methuen precedes.P-036386

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

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.P-036387

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The House at Pooh Corner a first edition?

A first edition of The House at Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne (illustrated by E. H. Shepard) (Methuen & Co.) is identified by: 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).

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A stated first edition, a number line ending in 1, or a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the key. The UK Methuen edition is the true first, preceding the US E.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

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.

I have a first edition of The House at Pooh Corner — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.