A. A. Milne

• 1. A Mathematician In Kilburn

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  Alan Alexander Milne was born in Kilburn, London on the 18th of January 1882. He grew up at Henley House School where his father taught him to read by the age of two. One of his teachers there was H. G. Wells during the academic year 1889, 90. Milne later attended Westminster School before earning a mathematics scholarship at Trinity College, Cambridge. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics in 1903 yet always preferred writing over numbers. While at university he edited and wrote for Granta, a student magazine that featured his early work. He collaborated with his brother Kenneth on articles signed only with their initials AKM. His writing caught the eye of Punch magazine which became his professional home for decades.

• 2. Signals Officer On The Somme

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  Milne joined the British Army during World War I as an officer in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment. He received his commission into the 4th Battalion on the 1st of February 1915 as a second lieutenant. His commission was confirmed on the 20th of December 1915 according to the London Gazette. He served on the Somme as a signals officer from July through November 1916 but contracted trench fever. After recovering he worked as a signals instructor before being recruited into military intelligence. Between 1917 and 1918 he wrote propaganda articles for MI7 (b). He was discharged on the 14th of February 1919 and settled in Mallord Street, Chelsea. He relinquished his commission on the 19th of February 1920 retaining the rank of lieutenant.

• 3. Plays And Detective Fiction

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  After graduating from Cambridge University in 1903 Milne contributed humorous verse and whimsical essays to Punch. He joined the staff in 1906 and eventually became an assistant editor. During this period he published eighteen plays and three novels including the murder mystery The Red House Mystery released in 1922. He was also an early screenwriter for the nascent British film industry writing four stories filmed in 1920 for Minerva Films. These films included The Bump starring Aubrey Smith and Twice Two. Some of these films survive in the archives of the British Film Institute. Milne had met actor Leslie Howard when Howard starred in Milne's play Mr Pim Passes By in London.

• 4. The Bear From London Zoo

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  In 1925 Milne bought an 18-inch Alpha Farnell teddy bear for his son from Harrods department store in London. His son Christopher Robin Milne named it Edward before renaming it Winnie after a Canadian black bear at London Zoo. That bear served as a military mascot during World War I and was left to the zoo. The name Pooh came from a swan the young Milne named himself. E. H. Shepard illustrated the original books using his own son's teddy Growler as a model. The fictional Hundred Acre Wood derives from Five Hundred Acre Wood in Ashdown Forest where Milne lived at Cotchford Farm. He took his son on walking trips there while Shepard drew landscapes from the forest for illustrations.

• 5. Fame And Family Estrangement

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  The success of his children's books became a source of considerable annoyance to Milne who wanted to write whatever he pleased. He felt amazement and disgust over the immense fame his son was exposed to by public scrutiny. Milne stated that he did not want Christopher Robin Milne to ever wish that his name were Charles Robert. Milne and his wife Dorothy became estranged from their son who resented what he saw as exploitation of his childhood. Christopher's marriage to his first cousin Lesley de Sélincourt distanced him further from his parents. Lesley's father and Christopher's mother had not spoken to each other for thirty years before this time.

• 6. Retirement At Cotchford Farm

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  During World War II Milne served as a captain in the British Home Guard in Hartfield and Forest Row. He insisted on being called plain Mr. Milne by members of his platoon rather than using his military rank. He retired to Cotchford Farm after a stroke and brain surgery in 1952 left him an invalid. By August 1953 observers noted that he seemed very old and disenchanted with life. Milne died at his home in Hartfield, Sussex on the 31st of January 1956 thirteen days after his 74th birthday. A memorial service took place on the 10th of February at All Hallows-by-the-Tower church in London.

• 7. Copyright And Commercial Value

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  The rights to A. A. Milne's Pooh books were left to four beneficiaries including his family and the Royal Literary Fund. After Milne's death in 1956 his widow sold her rights to Stephen Slesinger who later sold them to Walt Disney Productions. In 2001 the other beneficiaries sold their interest in the estate to the Disney Corporation for $350 million. Previously Disney had been paying twice-yearly royalties to these beneficiaries. Forbes magazine ranked Winnie the Pooh as the most valuable fictional character in 2002 with annual sales exceeding $5.9 billion. The UK copyright on the text of the original books expires on the 1st of January 2027 while illustrations remain protected until 2047.