A copy of Tales of Pooh by A. A. Milne, published by Methuen & Co. Ltd., London, 1930 as part of the Methuen’s Modern Classics series. Original red cloth boards with black ruled borders and black cover designs remain clear on front and rear. Overall condition is fair, as shown in the photos (I have tried to give a clear presentation of the book including a photo of th worst foxing, without taking a photo of every page). The spine is noticeably faded and shows heavy scuffing and wear at the foot which is also on the front and rear bottom corners near the spine, as visible in the photographs. The cloth shows general rubbing and handling wear consistent with age. The binding remains intact but displays internal cracking, indicating some structural weakness. Internally, there is foxing to the text block, though all pages are present and legible.
Tales of Pooh collects selected stories from Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh canon, illustrated by E. H. Shepard (with all 87 illustrations), and was issued in this format to make the work accessible to a wider readership through Methuen’s popular classics series. While not a first edition, copies such as this retain appeal as early twentieth-century printings of one of the most enduring works of children’s literature, particularly when still in original cloth and complete, despite the noted wear.
