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          Sotheby's to sell the most important Pooh books ever (November 15th, 2002)

   Fact meets fiction in Sotheby's forthcoming sale of Children's and Illustrated Books when Christopher Robin's own original copies of the Winnie-the-Pooh books are offered for sale in London on Thursday, December 12, 2002. Given to him by his author father, A.A. Milne, Christopher Robin comes face to face with his fictional character in three of the most desirable and emotive copies of the children's classic ever likely to be offered at auction.

   An inscribed first edition of When We Were Very Young from A.A. Milne to his son, Christopher Robin, is estimated at Ł40,000-60,000. It is the first of the Winnie-the-Pooh books - introducing two of the most well known literary childhood figures, Christopher Robin and Winnie-the Pooh - and is therefore the most important of the three.

   Dedicated "To / Christopher Robin Milne / or, as he prefers to call himself / Billy Moon / This book / which owes so much to him / is now humbly offered." Milne explains in It's too Late Now, that on the birth of his child: "We had intended to call it Rosemary, but decided that Billy would be more suitable. However, as you can't be christened William - least, we didn't see why anybody should - we had to think of two other names, two initials being necessary to ensure him any sort of copyright in a cognomen as often plagarised as Milne. One of us thought of Robin, the other of Christopher; names wasted on him who called himself Billy Moon as soon as he could talk, and has been Moon to his family and friends ever since."

   Consequently, the presentation copy of When We Were Very Young - dedicated in the month of publication - was inscribed by his father: "Billy's own book / from his loving Blue. / Nov: 1924." Writing in his autobiography, The Enchanted Places, Christopher Robin notes: "…BILLY Survived to get itself into my copy of When We Were Very Young, which my father inscribed 'Billy's Own Book', but died between there and Winnie-the-Pooh." In reference to Moon, he writes: "This was my early attempt at saying Milne."

   Winnie-the-Pooh was published on October 14, 1926, with a print run seven times the size of When They Were Very Young. Christopher Robin's copy of Winnie-the-Pooh reads: "For Moonest Moon / and / Poohest Pooh / from their adoring / Bluest Blue / Oct. 16th .1926," and is estimated to fetch Ł25,000-35,000. Blue according to Milne's biographer, Ann Thwaite, was Christopher Robin's nickname for his father, possibly owing to the colour of Milne's eyes and his penchant for blue clothes.

   The third of the Winnie-the-Pooh books, Now We Are Six, published in 1927, reads: "For my Moon / from his / Blue / Now I am 45. / Oct 11th, 1927." It is estimated at Ł12,000-16,000. A presentation copy of Once On a Time specially bound in green Morocco gilt for Christopher Robin by Sangorski and Sutcliff, was presumably commissioned by the author as a Christmas present for his son four years after publication of the book. Inscribed "Moon / from / Blue," the book is expected to fetch Ł10,000-15,000.

   The books, which have remained in the Milne family ever since they were first presented to Christopher Robin, will be offered for sale by Sotheby's on behalf of a member of the family.

                               For more information check the site of Sotheby's

                          Christopher Robin footage found (November 26th, 2001)

   Film footage of the real-life Christopher Robin playing with friends dressed as Winnie the Pooh characters has been found - 72 years after it was shot. The clip was unearthed during research for a new BBC documentary celebrating the 75th birthday of the children's books. The 10-second piece shows Christopher Robin Milne, son of creator AA Milne, following school children dressed for a pageant as Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Eyeore, Tigger and Kanga. He was nine years old when the film was shot in the Ashdown Forest, East Sussex, in 1929.

   Although Christopher Robin was unaware of the film he remembered the pageant and wrote about it in his autobiography It says: "The pageant went its memorable way and I see it as an ancient cine film, much faded and blurred and with many breaks, but with here and there and a sequence as vivid as the day it was shot. It was exciting doing my bit." Helen Kent was the BBC producer who discovered the footage, while looking for shots of the Ashdown Forest. To her amazement the film she requested contained shots of Christopher Robin himself.

   Ms Kent said: "I couldn't believe I had discovered actual footage of the real Christopher Robin Milne." Frank Gray, director of the South East Film and Video Archive where the piece was found, said: "If anyone asked me 'would this film still exist?' I would have said 'no' as 80% of the films from the 1920's have been lost. "This is the only film we have of Ashdown Forest from that period, so for this one film to be the film that also showed Christopher Robin was virtually impossible. "It's a wonderful piece of film because it links the world of Winnie the Pooh to Ashdown Forest and Christopher Robin."

                          Pooh celebrates 75th birthday (October 14th, 2001)

   The world's most famous teddy bear, AA Milne's Winnie the Pooh, is 75 years old. The honey-loving bear's antics have been translated into more than 40 languages including Thai, Hebrew and Braille. Events were held around the UK to mark the birthday on Sunday and visitors gathered at the famous Pooh Sticks bridge. Fans of the stories, and their subsequent Disney cartoon incarnations, enjoy going to the Pooh Sticks bridge which was renovated and reopened in 1979 by Christopher Robin Milne, the author's son.

   As part of the birthday celebrations the actor Nigel Havers read some of his favourite Winnie the Pooh stories at a West London bookstore. Elsewhere, characters from the famous books such as Tigger, Piglet and Eeyore made special appearances.


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