Original 1926 Winnie-the-Pooh map sells for record £430,000
10 July 2018
The original illustrated map of The Hundred Acre Wood, which features in the opening pages of A.A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh, has been sold for a record PS430,000. The 1926 sketch by E.H. Shepard introduced readers to the world of Christopher Robin and his friends. The map fetched the highest sum of any book illustration sold at auction. Previously, the record was held by a drawing of Milne's characters playing Poohsticks, which sold for PS314,500. The map also played a starring role in the Disney film, Winnie-The-Pooh And The Honey Tree, in which it was animated as part of the movie's opening sequence. As well as depicting the book's woodland world, the map also features Milne's much-loved characters including Eeyore, Winnie-The-Pooh and Christopher Robin. The drawing is littered with misspelt locations, such as "nice for picnicks" and "100 aker wood", and the illustration is signed off with the words "Drawn by me and Mr Shepard helpd". Four other original Winnie-the-Pooh illustrations were sold alongside the map, with the five drawings selling for a combined total of PS917,500. A.A. Milne was born in Hampstead, London, in 1882. He had a string of hit plays and edited magazines before creating the Pooh books in the 1920s while he lived in Ashdown Forest, near Hartfield in East Sussex. Shepard and A.A. Milne worked together on four books - Winnie-the-Pooh (1926), The House at Pooh Corner (1928), a poem about the bear in verse book When We Were Very Young (1924) and Now We Are Six (1927). "Christopher Robin", a new film based on Milne's characters, is due to be released by Disney in August.
A.A. Milne was born in Hampstead, London, in 1882. He had a string of hit plays and edited magazines before creating the Pooh books in the 1920s while he lived in Ashdown Forest, near Hartfield in East Sussex. Shepard and A.A. Milne worked together on four books - Winnie-the-Pooh (1926), The House at Pooh Corner (1928), a poem about the bear in verse book When We Were Very Young (1924) and Now We Are Six (1927). "Christopher Robin", a new film based on Milne's characters, is due to be released by Disney in August.
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Who was A.A. Milne?