1927 Rare Deluxe First Edition - Now We are Six (Winnie the Pooh), illustrated

Author: A. A. Milne. Illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard.
Title: Now We Are Six.
Language: Text in English.
Publisher: London, Methuen & Co. Ltd., 1927. First deluxe edition, with the copyright page stating “First Published in 1927” and no later printing noted.
Size: 7" x 5".
Pages: x, 103 pages.
Binding: Near fine and exceptionally attractive publisher’s deluxe red leather binding, richly decorated in gilt, with double gilt borders and ornamental cornerpieces to the front board, central gilt vignette of Christopher Robin, and an elaborate pictorial gilt spine. Hinges fine and binding firm. All edges gilt. Protected in a removable mylar cover. 
Content: Near fine content (bright, tight and clean). Some toning to the half-title and final blank page only, otherwise exceptionally well preserved, as shown.
Illustrations: Complete with the charming black-and-white illustrations and decorations throughout by Ernest H. Shepard, including numerous images of Christopher Robin, Winnie-the-Pooh and their companions.

The book: A beautiful first edition in the publisher’s deluxe leather binding of Now We Are Six, A. A. Milne’s second collection of poems for children and one of the four celebrated books associated with Winnie-the-Pooh and Christopher Robin. First published in 1927, the collection includes such enduring poems as “King John’s Christmas,” “Us Two,” “The Knight Whose Armour Didn’t Squeak,” and “In the Dark.” Shepard’s wonderfully delicate illustrations are inseparable from Milne’s verse and appear throughout the volume. The striking red leather binding, extensive gilt decoration and gilt edges make this a particularly desirable presentation of this classic.

The author: Alan Alexander Milne (1882–1956) was an English author, playwright and poet whose Winnie-the-Pooh books became among the most beloved works of twentieth-century children’s literature. Inspired by his son Christopher Robin Milne and his collection of toys, Milne created the world of Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore and their friends. Together with When We Were Very Young, Winnie-the-Pooh, The House at Pooh Corner and Now We Are Six, these books have remained enduring classics for generations.

The illustrator: Ernest Howard Shepard (1879–1976) was one of the most celebrated British illustrators of the twentieth century. His drawings for A. A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh books and Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows have become iconic. Shepard’s light, expressive line perfectly captured the humour, tenderness and imaginative world of Christopher Robin and his companions, and his illustrations remain inseparably associated with Milne’s work.