Lost in a Good Book

Published in 1928 this is the sequel to Winnie-the-Pooh. This second volume of stories contains ten chapters, each a story with an adventure of sorts that Christopher Robin and his toys go on. The House at Pooh Corner is important because it’s the book where Tigger is introduced. It’s hard to imagine we may have had Winnieithe-Pooh without Tigger, perhaps it would have been another toy instead if Christopher Robin’s mother had chosen differently. I used to think it was Kanga and Roo who were introduced in the second book but it was actually Tigger. Possibly because Tigger took off with such popularity and Kanga and Roo were less notable that I thought they were later introductions.

I love this book as much as the first one, the stories are beautiful and there are some wonderful important moments about friendship and kindness, and I think Eeyore is so delightful and the relationship between Pooh and Piglet really shines. The game of Pooh Sticks is also created in one of these stories, and it includes a slightly older Christopher Robin, growing up and heading off to school. This is a heartbreaking book in a way, Christopher Robin realises he is growing up and it makes some wonderfully moving monents that make you (me specifically), very teary and emotional.

I think the first book outshines this a bit, or maybe people merge them into one book, but House at Pooh Corner is a grand little book in its own right and deserves to be seen as its own book, not confused and muddled in with all things Winnie the Pooh.

Pooh Corner is mentioned in the famous Kenny Loggins song titled Return to Pooh Corner, and oh my goodness if you haven’t heard it you must. It will crush your heart and make you nostalgic and all kinds of emotional. I adore it to no end and I proper cry everytime I hear it. Not as connected to this book in terms of story but Pooh Corner is where a lot of things happen once it has been created so it deserves a mention (plus it’s a gorgeous song and I need to mention it somewhere). Both this book and the song are wonderful about growing up and being young and carefree and friendship. I’m getting all teary thinking about them both now so I’m going to stop there and resist the urge to listen to the song.

Today marks the 90th anniversary since Winnie the Pooh was first published. 90 years on and Pooh and his friends are just as big as they were when they first made their appearance and there is no sign of them slowing down.

The original stories Milne published in the 1920s are still being printed today and the same words that children and adults fell in love with are being loved all over again in a new century, a new millennium and multiple generations later. Personally, I would love to own a copy of the original edition, see the drawings from Shepard and read the story from the original book. It would awesome but I’m sure for a good copy would be a few hundred at least..

The lasting success of Winnie the Pooh is no real surprise, when it was published it was a best seller. The story of Winnie the Pooh and friends is timeless and is filled with the right balance of wisdom, absurdity, silliness, and heart.

Both the British and American editions (Methuen & Co and Dutton respectively) were published on the same day and went on to tremendous success. Critics hailed the book a masterpiece, all except Dorothy Parker who found Milne’s work pretentious.

The first edition was bound in dark green cloth with a gilt border and vignette to the front cover, also with gilt at the top edges of the pages. Originally it also had a dust cover, which is now incredibly rare. Deluxe editions were also published the same year in either blue, green, or red, and had a slip-case replacing the dust wrapper. There were also 350 limited edition copies produced that were signed by both author and illustrator.

In the years since publishing the book has been adapted and translated numerous times, it was even translated into Latin. Translator Lénárd Sándor (Alexander Lenard) from Hungary published the translation in 1958 and it was called Winnie ille Pu. Two years later it became the first foreign language book to be featured on the New York Times Best Seller List, and the only Latin book ever to be featured.

Most of the characters we know and love today were introduced in this first book. Pooh, Rabbit, Eeyore, Piglet and Owl are all mentioned, and one of the later chapters introduces Kanga and Roo. Interestingly Tigger is not introduced until the sequel. All the characters are toys except Owl and Rabbit, Milne called these two his “own unaided work” drawn from the natural world. This is also why they are depicted as real animals, not toys like the others.

A lot of Milne’s inspiration for Winnie the Pooh came from around him, his son, certainly the toys, but the setting is also inspired by real life. The setting of the stories is the 100 Acre Wood which Milne based on the real life Ashdown forest near Sussex. Milne bought a country home near the forest and took regular trips there with his family and stayed there during the spring and the summer. The forest inspired Milne and he used it in both of his Winnie the Pooh books, with many places being replicated as part of the fictional 100 acres.

The book is fairly short, ten chapters/adventures in total and each written in that peculiar Milne way. I have always loved Milne’s writing style, the random capitals when Things happen or Something needs doing, and the cleverness when jokes are woven in there for adults while the kids enjoy a different aspect. It is deceptively simple I think and that is what makes it charming.

One can only imagine what the 100^th anniversary will bring for this little book, but with such achievement already surely it is only going to get better from here.