The Pooh books are A. A. Milne's four children's books illustrated by E. H. Shepard and published by Methuen in London: When We Were Very Young (1924), Winnie-the-Pooh (14 October 1926), Now We Are Six (1927) and The House at Pooh Corner (1928). Each exists as an ordinary trade first in cloth, a signed large-paper limited issue and, for the later books, a handful of signed copies on vellum. Knowing which one you have, and whether it is in its jacket, is most of the work.
The trade first editions
| Year | Title | Cloth | First-issue points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 | When We Were Very Young | Blue, pictorial gilt | Page ix unnumbered; jacket 7/6 on the spine |
| 1926 | Winnie-the-Pooh | Green | "First published in 1926"; jacket 7/6 net, "117th Thousand" on the rear flap |
| 1927 | Now We Are Six | Red, gilt | Published 13 October 1927 |
| 1928 | The House at Pooh Corner | Pink |
Sotheby's describes a set of the four in blue, green, red and pink cloth with gilt top edges, which matches the colours dealers give for each title.
When We Were Very Young has the best-known point. In the first issue, page ix of the preliminary pages carries no page number; copies with the number printed are the second issue. Bonhams and Sotheby's both catalogue the books this way, and Sotheby's calls the first issue very rare. The book sold so fast that it was reprinted twelve times in little more than a year, so most copies you see are later impressions.
Winnie-the-Pooh should say "First published in 1926" on the copyright page, with no later printings listed. The first-issue jacket is priced 7/6 net on the spine and, at the top of the rear flap, advertises When We Were Very Young as in its "117th Thousand". Sotheby's noted that jacket on a first edition in 2012.
The first printings were large for the time. AbeBooks reports 35,000 copies of Winnie-the-Pooh, 50,000 of Now We Are Six and 75,000 of The House at Pooh Corner. These figures come from a single secondary source, so treat them as a guide.
Signed large-paper and vellum issues
Methuen issued each book in a larger, signed limited format at the same time as the trade first:
- When We Were Very Young: 100 signed copies. Sotheby's offered number 1 in 2018.
- Winnie-the-Pooh: 350 numbered copies on handmade paper, signed by Milne and Shepard, in half blue cloth. Wikipedia gives 100, but the dealers and Sotheby's agree on 350.
- Now We Are Six: 200 signed copies in buckram, with a jacket priced 42s.
- The House at Pooh Corner: 350 signed copies on handmade paper, with a blue buckram spine and white boards.
Rarer still are the 20 copies of Winnie-the-Pooh, Now We Are Six and The House at Pooh Corner printed on Japanese vellum and signed by both. Christie's New York sold a group of the three in 2022 for $52,920.
Methuen also offered deluxe leather bindings, for example Winnie-the-Pooh in olive roan with gilt edges. They are handsome but neither limited nor signed, so they sit well below the large-paper issues in value.
American editions
E. P. Dutton published the books in New York in the same years; Wikipedia gives 14 October 1926 for both editions of Winnie-the-Pooh. Auction houses treat the Methuen books as the first editions and Dutton's as first American editions: Christie's once corrected a lot it had described as a Methuen large-paper Pooh to the New York printing. Dutton issued its own signed large-paper copies, including 200 numbered copies of Winnie-the-Pooh.
What they sell for
- Trade firsts: a set of the four rebound in morocco, with a second-issue When We Were Very Young, made £2,304 at Bonhams in 2024. Sets in their jackets are estimated in the low thousands to £8,000, depending on condition and the first issue.
- Large-paper issues: a signed House at Pooh Corner, a presentation copy, made £1,500 at Bonhams in 2015. AbeBooks reports a large-paper Winnie-the-Pooh selling for $12,500.
- Association copies: the dedication copy of When We Were Very Young, inscribed to Christopher Milne, made £45,000 at Sotheby's in 2002.
These are named sales, not valuations of your copy. Jackets, fading of the cloth and any inscription change prices sharply. See our guide to signed and inscribed books.
Check your copy
- Read the title page: Methuen, London, and the year of the first edition.
- On the copyright page, look for the first published line with no reprints listed.
- For When We Were Very Young, check whether page ix is numbered.
- For Winnie-the-Pooh, check the jacket for 7/6 net and the "117th Thousand" advertisement.
- For a large-paper copy, find the limitation page, the number and both signatures.
- Grade the book and jacket with our condition guide, then try Is my book valuable?.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my Winnie-the-Pooh is a first edition?
A Methuen first edition says First published in 1926 on the copyright page, with no reprints listed. The first-issue jacket is priced 7/6 net on the spine and advertises When We Were Very Young as in its 117th Thousand on the rear flap.
Was Winnie-the-Pooh published first in Britain or America?
Methuen in London and E. P. Dutton in New York both published it in 1926; Wikipedia gives 14 October for both. Auction houses treat the Methuen book as the first edition and Dutton's as the first American edition.
What is the large-paper edition of Winnie-the-Pooh?
A limited issue printed on handmade paper in a larger format, numbered and signed by A. A. Milne and E. H. Shepard. Dealers and Sotheby's give 350 copies for the Methuen issue, though Wikipedia says 100. A further 20 copies were printed on Japanese vellum.
How do I tell a first issue of When We Were Very Young?
In the first issue, page ix of the preliminary pages is unnumbered. Bonhams and Sotheby's both describe copies with the number printed as the second issue, and Sotheby's calls the unnumbered state very rare.
Are the leather-bound Pooh books first editions?
Methuen issued deluxe leather bindings of the Pooh books alongside the cloth trade editions, in coloured leather with gilt decoration. They are attractive and collected, but they are not limited or signed, and they sell for far less than the signed large-paper issues.
Where these facts come from
- Winnie-the-Pooh (book), Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
- 100 years of Winnie-the-Pooh: rare finds from the Hundred Acre Wood, AbeBooks (abebooks.com)
- When We Were Very Young, first edition, Bauman Rare Books (baumanrarebooks.com)
- Winnie-the-Pooh, large-paper edition, Bauman Rare Books (baumanrarebooks.com)
- Milne, The Pooh books, first editions, Bonhams, 2015 (bonhams.com)
- Milne, The Pooh books, first editions, Bonhams, 2024 (bonhams.com)
- English Literature and History, lot 167, Sotheby's, 2012 (sothebys.com)
- When We Were Very Young, no. 1 of 100, Sotheby's, 2018 (sothebys.com)
- A rare collection of Winnie-the-Pooh from A. A. Milne's own desk, Sotheby's, 2019 (sothebys.com)
- The House at Pooh Corner, limited edition, Jonkers Rare Books (jonkers.co.uk)
- Now We Are Six, Jonkers Rare Books (jonkers.co.uk)
- Winnie-the-Pooh, deluxe binding, Jonkers Rare Books (jonkers.co.uk)
- Now We Are Six, large-paper edition, lot 62871, Nate D. Sanders Auctions (natedsanders.com)
- The House at Pooh Corner, presentation copy, Bonhams, 2015 (bonhams.com)
- The Pooh books on vellum, Christie's New York, 2022, lot 208 (as recorded by veryimportantlot.com) (veryimportantlot.com)
Points of issue are listed only where at least two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 18 October 2026.
Last reviewed 18 October 2026.