AA Milne biography

Alan Alexander Milne was born on January 18, 1882. Growing up in London, Milne attended Henley House, a private school run by his father. By 1893, soon after leaving Henley House, Milne found himself studying at Westminster School and later, in 1903, obtaining a degree in mathematics from Cambridge University.

Often thought of as merely an author of children's novels, Milne was a poet, an essayist, a playwright, and an adult novelist as well. He began his writing career with humorous pieces for Punch magazine. It was in this publication, in 1923, that Winnie-the-Pooh made his first appearance in the poem Teddy Bear. Milne also wrote plays and by the time When We Were Very Young, his first book of poems for children, was published in 1924; he had already made his name as a dramatist and novelist.

In 1913, Milne married Dorothy DeSelincourt, the owner of Punch's goddaughter. Soon after they were married, on February 10, 1915, Milne joined the army as a signaling officer. While in the army, Milne wrote his first play, Wurzel Flummery.

As a married couple, Milne and DeSelincourt were simply comrades. DeSelincourt was described as 'an unattractive portrait of an extravagant social butterfly, glad to get her only child packed off to boarding school and eventually unfaithful to her patient, loving husband'. Together, they believed friendship was the most important part to a marriage. Later, Milne displayed his belief in the importance of friendship in The House at Pooh Corner through Pooh's friendship with Piglet.

E.H. Shepard, born in 1879, became known as the ‘Man who drew Pooh’, but was also an acclaimed artist in his own right. Shepard won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Arts, and later, like Milne, worked for Punch magazine as a cartoonist and an illustrator. Shepard’s illustrations of Winnie-the-Pooh and the friends of the Hundred Acre Wood have become classics in their own right and are recognised all over the world.

AA Milne books

• Lovers in London (1905)
• Once on a Time (1917)
• Mr. Pim (1921)
• The Red House Mystery (1922)
• Gallery of Children (1925)
• Winnie-the-Pooh (1926) (illustrated by E. H. Shepard)
• The House at Pooh Corner (1928) (illustrated by E. H. Shepard)
• Two People (1931)
• Four Days' Wonder (1933)
• Peace With Honour (1934)
• It's Too Late Now: The Autobiography of a Writer (1939)
• War With Honour (1940)
• Chloe Marr (1946)
• A Table Near the Band (1950)
• Year In, Year Out (1952) (illustrated by E. H. Shepard)

Latest news: AA Milne

New Winnie the Pooh animation due out in July 2011
Walt Disney will be releasing a new Winnie the Pooh animated movie on July 15, 2011. The movie will be called Winnie the Pooh and will feature songs by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez.  The story will be based on five stories from the original Winnie the Pooh books by AA Milne. The fil [...]

The 20 greatest children's books ever, according to The Telegraph
Some are time-worn classics, some more recently embraced. Lucinda Everett selects the stories that resonate with the young decade after decade. We think that it is a great list and have added some of our favourites immediately afterwards. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame Far from [...]

Fantasy news round-up – April 14, 2010
Harry Potter to be re-cloaked JK Rowling's Harry Potter series is to be given a fresh set of covers. Publisher Bloomsbury has taken the decision to give the books a facelift in a bid to attract new buyers and boost sales. The publisher has seen profits fall by 35 per cent in the past year in the [...]

Fantasy news round-up – April 11, 2010
Game of Thrones re-cast sees Ehle replaced by Fairley Michelle Fairley is set to replace Jennifer Ehle as Catelyn Stark in the HBO production of Game of Thrones. Ehle played Catelyn in the pilot episode but the Irish-born Fairley will step into her shoes for the remaining nine episodes. The fant [...]

First edition of The Wind in the Willows sells for £32,400 at auction
A first edition of Kenneth Grahame's children's classic, The Wind in the Willows, dedicated to the daughter of Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, who was thought to have been the model for the character of Ratty, has been sold at auction for £32,400, vastly exceeding the £5,000 estimate. The inscription ins [...]

The 2 Steves: Steve Skidmore and Steve Barlow interview (November 2009)
Authors Steve Barlow and Steve Skidmore have always been experts in reaching out to children through their witty and accessible books, so it comes as no surprise that they are once more at the forefront of new developments in reading and literacy. With the anarchic Vernon Bright titles leading the [...]

Stephen Slesinger sues Disney over Pooh royalties
Winnie-the-Pooh is at the centre of a legal storm over his adventures in the Hundred Acre Wood. The firm founded by the man responsible for making the bear with very little brain big in the States is dragging Disney through the courts in a bid to get allegedly unpaid royalties. Lawyers for Stephen [...]

The Gruffalo voted favourite bedtime story by Radio 2 listeners
Listeners to BBC Radio 2 have voted Julia Donaldson's timeless children's tale The Gruffalo as the nation's favourite bedtime story. Nearly 20,000 listeners voted from a shortlist of eight books and the Gruffalo received around one-fifth of the vote. A.A. Milne's Winnie The Pooh came second and Eric [...]

Colfer and Benedictus are rewarded for their courage
Eoin Colfer and David Benedictus both deserve medals for bravery. In having the pluck to step into the shoes of the national treasure’s that are Douglas Adams and AA Milne they have put themselves on a pedestal that people were trying to knock them off before they had even written a word. William Ho [...]

Winnie-the-Pooh to hit the main stage theatre
Main Stage Theatre Set To Present WINNIE-THE-POOH 6/6, 6/13, 6/20, 7/11, 7/13-16, And 7/19 From the stories of AA Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh comes this sweet musical touring production of Winnie-the-Pooh.  Pooh, The Bear of Very Little Brain, and all his friends – Piglet, Rabbit, Eeyore, Owl, Kan [...]