Antiquarian Auctions

Auction #131 begins on 21 May 2026

Milne (A. A.)

TEDDY BEAR AND OTHER SONGS FROM "WHEN WE WERE VERY YOUNG."

Words by A.A. Milne, music by H. Fraser-Simson, decorations by E.H. Shepard

Published: Methuen & Co. Ltd., London, 1926

Edition: Limited edition

Reserve: $3,000

Approximately:

Estimate: $3500/4000

Bidding opens: 21 May 16:30 GMT

Bidding closes: 28 May 16:30 GMT

Ships from: South Africa

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Limited Edition: Number 22 Of 100 Copies, Signed By All Three Contributors, 42 pages, fourteen of Milne's verses with the music interspersed with vignettes, original grey paper covered boards with a title label on the upper cover, blue cloth back - the boards are worn along the edges and at the corners, light foxing on the title page and toning of the text, overall a very good copy. Scarce.

The colophon reads: This edition published in 1926, is limited to 100 numbered copies of which this is No. 22. Signed by the author, composer, and illustrator'.

A.A. Milne, Fraser-Simson and E.H. Shepard.

The fourteen songs are:

 Disobedience

The Alchemist

Jonathan Jo

The Four Friends

Independence

Before Tea

Bad Sir Brian Botany

Sand-between-the-Toes

Puppy and I

Daffodowndilly

Rice Pudding

Teddy Bear

At the Zoo

If I were King

The songs in Teddy Bear and Other Songs from "When We Were Very Young" represent of one of the most successful creative partnerships in the history of English children's literature. When A.A. Milne published When We Were Very Young in November 1924, it was an immediate success, selling 100,000 copies within a year of publication. The composer Henry Fraser-Simson, already known in London musical circles for his light operettas, recognised the inherent musicality of Milne's verse and approached him with a proposal to set selected poems to piano accompaniment. Milne agreed, and the resulting songs were performed and published in various forms before being issued in this limited edition in 1926.

  • Overall Condition: Very good
  • Size: Large 4to (325 x 260 mm)


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