Octavo. (xiii) (100)pp. The first book of A.A. Milne's beloved "Christopher Robin" series, When We Were Very Young was published in an edition of just 5,175 copies, making it the rarest of the four books. Illustrated by English artist E.H. Shepard, who had a connection with Milne through Punch magazine, where they both worked for a time. Punch was planning to publish some of Milne's verses from When We Were Very Young prior to their appearance in book form, and suggested to Milne that Shepard do the illustrations. Milne at first was not enthusiastic about the prospect of Shepard's involvement, but he had a change of heart after seeing the artist's charming black and white drawings for the project. From that point on, he would work only with Shepard, whose association with the Winnie-the-Pooh books would continue for nearly fifty years, as he contributed illustrations to new editions into his early nineties, long after A.A. Milne had moved on from the series. Milne himself wrote primarily adult literature, including novels, plays, essays, articles, even a detective story. But it is the four Christopher Robin books for which he will always be remembered. The author sometimes resented the fact that these books, whose young protagonist is famously named after his son, overshadowed the rest of his literary output. At other times he appeared to be more appreciative of the renown they brought him. In A.A. Milne: The Man Behind Winnie-the-Pooh, Ann Thwaite notes that shortly after the publication of Pooh, Milne wrote in The Nation, "I suppose that every one of us hopes secretly for immortality; to leave . . . a name behind him which will live forever in this world." As the author of beloved children's books such as this one, there can be no doubt that A.A. Milne fulfilled his hope. Very slight bumping to spine ends and lower front corner, typical adhesive offsetting to endpapers, else nearly fine in the cream-colored dust jacket, which is printed and illustrated with the familiar images of Pooh and Christopher Robin. Jacket spine evenly toned, with chips to corners and spine ends, a tape repair to spine head, and a large chip where the price would have been.