The Men Who Created Winnie-the-Pooh: The Lives of A. A. Milne and E. H. Shepard

(Hardback)

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Description

In celebration of 100 years of Winnie-the-Pooh, a beautiful full-colour volume on the men behind the creation of the much-loved characters.

When A. A. Milne and E. H. Shepard first came together in 1923 to create the world of Winnie-the-Pooh and his companions in the Hundred Acre Wood, no one could have foreseen the impact this unique collaboration was going to have on childrens literature and, indeed, on children all over the world. Now, 100 years on, the characters they created are still as cherished as they ever were. Millions of books in fifty different languages have been sold around the world; films have been huge global box-office successes; merchandise from pyjamas to placemats all have contributed to keep Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends in our hearts and minds.

But what of the two men who created these iconic characters How did they come to collaborate and what were the secrets of their successful partnership

In this beautiful, full-colour volume, author James Campbell brings to life these two remarkable men, their professional and personal relationships, complex families, strengths and weaknesses. From working together at Punch magazine in the early 1920s and co-creating the four iconic Winnie-the-Pooh titles When We Were Very Young (1924), Winnie-the-Pooh (1926), Now We Are Six (1927) and The House at Pooh Corner (1928) through the success of the books and their reception both at home and abroad, their wartime experiences, other collaborations (most notably on Shepards renowned illustrations for Kenneth Graham's The Wind in the Willows and Milnes dramatization of the same story into Toad of Toad Hall) and their legacies that continue to this day.

Illustrated with excerpts from original manuscripts and drawings, previously unseen draft illustrations, photographs, documents, ephemera and more, this timely book looks back on their lives and work, from the first sketches to the illustrations we know and love and on to the characters later incarnations at Disney for new generations.

Reviews

To mark the centenary of the publication of the four childrens classics written by A. A. Milne and illustrated by E. H. Shepard, James Campbell has written a joint biography of the men who created these ever-fresh and still much-loved characters.
A beautiful keepsake book perfect for anyone who loves A. A. Milnes Bear of Very Little Brain and art in general. -- Review for The Art of Winnie-the-Pooh, CultureFly
His early cartoons from this time are treasures, offering an intimate view of the reality of war. Its perspective that photography, historical record and even poetry cant capture. -- Review for Shepards War * Daily Telegraph *
This handsomely produced book, illustrating much previously unpublished materials is a remarkable document, one of the most vividly fascinating to join the growing bibliography of the First World War. -- Review for Shepards War * The Oldie *

Author Bio

James Campbell has worked for a number of sustainability and environmental organizations for over twenty years. He is married to E. H. Shepard's great-granddaughter and has had responsibility for the oversight of E. H. Shepards artistic and literary estate since 2010. He lives in Oxford.