A.A. Milne, Ernest Howard Shepard

A handwritten letter from A.A. Milne to E.H. Shepard, presented with a first edition of Shepard's memoir, Drawn from Memory.

• A.A. Milne (British).
• E.H. Shepard (British).
• One-page handwritten letter by Milne and Shepard's own first edition of Drawn from Memory.
• London: Methuen, 1957.
• Letter initialed by Shepard.
• Letter is presented unframed.

A charming and historically significant letter written by A. A. Milne to his longtime collaborator and illustrator, E. H. Shepard, revealing a previously unseen glimpse into the creative world of the Pooh books. The letter, dating from around 1928 during the preparation of The House at Pooh Corner, contains Milne’s draft wording for a proposed inscription to accompany an unpublished Shepard illustration titled A little Something. The drawing, depicting a “Pooh clock,” which was never included in the final publication. Written in ink by Milne and later amended in pencil, the letter sets out two possible inscriptions for the illustration.

One reads:

“This Clock was Invented & Drawn by ERNEST H. SHEPARD for his friends POOH & PIGLET, to Encourage that Punctuality which is the Politeness of Princes and all other People who begin with a P.”

A second, shorter version follows:

“This Clock was drawn by ERNEST H. SHEPARD for his friends POOH & PIGLET, to Encourage them in Habits of Punctuality”.

The page is further annotated in red ink along the lower edge by Milne “Suggested ‘Inscription’ for Pooh clock.” Shepard himself later reviewed the suggestions, circling one in pencil and writing the approving note: “I like this one EHS.”

The letter was discovered tucked inside a copy of Shepard’s memoir, Drawn from Memory (first published in 1957 and included with this letter). On the book’s opening page is a penciled note, possibly in Shepherd’s hand, reading “Inscriptions for Pooh clock.” The document was possibly preserved among Shepard’s own working papers as the book in which the letter was found is believed to have been part of Shepard’s personal library. While the inscription drafts relate to Shepard’s illustration, the drawing itself was never published in the Pooh books. The original artwork for the clock eventually featured in the novel is held in the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery in Hobart, Australia.

From the personal collection of E.H. Shepard.