Christopher Robin Milne (1920-1996) and Ernest Howard Shepard (1879-1976) - photo 1

Christopher Robin Milne (1920-1996) and Ernest Howard Shepard (1879-1976)

Lot 17
28.04.2021 11:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Sold
£ 1 250
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Buyer Premiumsee on Website%
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 519306
Lot 17 | Christopher Robin Milne (1920-1996) and Ernest Howard Shepard (1879-1976)
Estimate value
£ 1 500 – 2 500
Christopher Robin Milne (1920-1996) and Ernest Howard Shepard (1879-1976)
A collection of letters sent to the publisher Methuen, 1969-1990.
Christopher Milne (1920-1996). 32 typed letters signed, nine autograph letters signed and one autograph note signed (‘Christopher Milne’, ‘C.R. Milne’ or ‘Christopher’) to John Cullen and three further Methuen employees, Embridge Forge, near Dartmouth or the Harbour Bookshop, Dartmouth, 7 July 1973 to 21 July 1990.

Various sizes, chiefly 210 x 150mm or 253 x 203mm, 49 pages in total, autograph additions and emendations, annotations by John Cullen or other Methuen employees scattered throughout [With:] copies of Methuen outgoing correspondence, chiefly from John Cullen, a number of annotated typed page drafts for The Enchanted Places and related material including proof dust-jackets.

A correspondence charting the genesis of The Enchanted Places, Christopher Milne’s memoir of his childhood, offering a fascinating insight into the ambiguous relationship he had with the literary legacy created for him by his father and his preoccupation with what the public expected of ‘Christopher Robin’.

Christopher Milne first wrote to John Cullen, latterly his editor at Methuen, to ask if the publisher would be interested in a memoir of his childhood, explaining: ‘From time to time I get asked questions about the Pooh books and about my childhood, and mostly I flinch from them. But towards the end of last year I felt that the time had come and I was quite old enough to stop flinching and start answering’ (7 July 1973). The correspondence that follows – which survives here as a discrete collection along with Cullen’s copy outgoing – charts the progress of the book towards publication, as Milne attempts to reconcile his ideal manuscript with what he imagines the public wants to know of him and his famous father: ‘My difficulty has been that what (I imagined) the reader wanted to read and what I enjoyed writing were two rather different things. The reader was interested in Christopher-Robinny things. I was not. I found them embarrassing. [The format I have chosen] means I can leave out anything I don’t want to say without there being an obvious gap. It means that I don’t have to attempt to answer the question “What sort of man was your father?”, but can merely say: “He did such and he did such” and leave it to the reader to add it all together and work out his own answer’ (2 August 1973). Milne is persuaded by his publisher that the book should include photographs – he asks that his Nanny might write the captions – and there is discussion of suitable dust-jacket designs and how far these might lean upon E.H. Shepard’s illustrations for the Pooh books: ‘Poohs and Piglets all over the place would be doing it in the wrong sort of way’ (7 February 1974). Milne initially suggests that the title of the book should make reference to his somewhat difficult relationship with the name ‘Christopher Robin’ – ‘it seemed that the word ‘name’ ought to be there [e.g.] “What’s in a Name”’ (5 February 1974) – before settling on The Enchanted Places, which ‘comes (as I think it should) from the last para in House at Pooh Corner’ (10 April 1974). Further insights into the private character of A.A. Milne’s only son are scattered throughout the correspondence – in a letter from 1 May 1974 he writes with some emphasis ‘Christopher R. Milne’ is NOT me. I’m sure he is someone and I’ve always imagined him as an American. Please! I’ve had such trouble with my name over the years. It would be so nice to feel that this book really was by me’; the later letters deal with further editions and, eventually, Milne’s retirement.

[And:]

Ernest Howard Shepard (1879-1976). Four autograph letters signed (‘E.H. Shepard’) to John Cullen, Woodmancote, Petworth, 5 November 1969 – 10 December 1960.

4½ pages in total. Chiefly in relation to a lunch given by Methuen in his honour: ‘I think the last time I visited the Garrick Club was at a lunch given by E.V. Lucas, when I sat next to a famous playwright […] There is only one food my wife cannot bear – Tapioca pudding’ (17 November 1969).
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
14.04.2021 – 28.04.2021
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Buyer Premium see on Website
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.