When We Were Very Young
By A. A. Milne
 
Limited edition, number 162 of 300 copies signed by Christopher Milne: London: Methuen Children's Books, 1974.
 
Octavo. Original teal grained leather, front cover and spine decorated and lettered in gilt, pictorial endpapers printed in pale green. All edges gilt.
 
An excellent copy, the binding square and firm with bright gilt to the panels; some sunning to the spine, otherwise excellent and internally pristine, the text block and illustrations remaining clean and fresh throughout.
 
Originally published in 1924, When We Were Very Young is the celebrated first volume of verses by A. A. Milne, which laid the narrative groundwork for the entire Winnie-the-Pooh phenomenon. It introduced young readers to Christopher Robin and contained the very first appearance of the beloved bear, who was initially introduced to the world as Edward Bear in the poem Teddy Bear. E. H. Shepard's iconic decorations perfectly complemented Milne's whimsical poetry, establishing a historic collaborative partnership that permanently reshaped twentieth-century children's literature.
 
A very attractive edition, featuring the signature of Christopher Milne, the real-life boy who inspired these timeless tales and whose personal legacy remains central to modern cultural history.