# Is "Winnie-the-Pooh" by A. A. Milne (illus. E. H. Shepard) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne (illus. E. H. Shepard) (Methuen, 1926) is identified by: UK 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. The UK Methuen edition (14 October 1926) is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK 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 original published price printed on the spine
- Methuen also issued a signed large-paper deluxe limited (350 copies, handmade paper, two-tone blue boards, signed)
- Publisher imprint reads Methuen
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | A. A. Milne (illus. E. H. Shepard) |
| Publisher | Methuen |
| Year | 1926 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | UK Methuen first edition, published 14 October 1926: ordinary trade issue in dark green cloth, gilt-blocked (Pooh/Christopher Robin design… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
UK 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 original published price printed on the spine. Methuen also issued a signed large-paper deluxe limited (350 copies, handmade paper, two-tone blue boards, signed).

## Is this the true first?
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 1926' Methuen copyright leaf, not by colour.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
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.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Winnie-the-Pooh* by A. A. Milne (illus. E. H. Shepard) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/winnie-the-pooh
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.