Your Chance to Own the Original Map of Winnie-the-Pooh’s Hundred Acre Wood

One of the most famous maps in English literature is coming to auction at Sotheby’s this July alongside four other long-hidden original Winnie-the-Pooh illustrations by E.H. Shepard. 

The five illustrations will be auctioned at the English Literature, History, Science, Children’s Books and Illustrations Sale in London on the 10th July.

Here’s Your Chance to Own The Original Map of Winnie-the-Pooh’s Hundred Acre Wood

One of the most renowned maps in children‘s literature will be offered for an estimate of £100,000-£150,000 this summer. Sketched over 90 years ago, the original map drawn by E.H. Shepard has been unseen for almost 50 years and will be making an appearance at the English Literature, History, Science, Children’s Books and Illustrations Sale in London on July 10th to be auctioned.

The much-loved map took its place on the opening end-papers inside the original 1926 book to introduce readers to the world of Christopher Robin and his woodland friends. From Pooh Bears House to Eeyores Gloomy Place, it played host to a world of imagination inside Hundred Acre Wood. Christopher Robin’s childish character beams out of the clumsily spelt locations including NICE FOR PICKNICKS and 100 AKER WOOD. Later brought to life as an animation, the map featured a starring role in the Disney film Winnie-the-Pooh and the Honey Tree in 1966.

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Four other sketches which capture the unique personalities of A.A. Milne’s characters from Eeyore to Roo, Christoper Robin, Piglet and of course, Winnie-the-Pooh, will all be sold alongside the map. Among the four works is an illustration of Christopher Robin and Pooh from The House at Pooh Corner. The illustration is the penultimate time we see the pair together as they were heading to ‘an enchanted place on the very top of the Forest’ to say their final goodbye.  Printed as a double-page, the book signs off with a heart-rendering farewell:

“…wherever they go, and whatever happens to them on the way, in that enchanted place in the top of the Forest a little boy and his bear will always be playing.”

The following two illustrations show the characters playing a game of ‘Poohsticks’ in Chapter Six of The House at Pooh Corner. Originally reproduced on pages 95-6 of the book, the first drawing features Pooh, Roo and Piglet peering over the Poohsticks bridge, and the second records Eeyore floating beneath the bridge on his back after an unexpected but comic turn of events.

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The last image is a re-drawn version of another illustration from the “Poohsticks” episode. Used twice within the published book, the renowned illustration features as the frontispiece and once within the chapter. The contemplative image depicts Christopher Robin, Pooh and Piglet standing on the famous bridge, looking at the river flowing beneath them. The illustration accompanied a moment of unified friendship and forgiveness, in which Piglet claims “Tigger is all right, really” and Pooh replies with “Everybody is really… But I don’t suppose I’m right…”.

The original map of Winnie-the-Pooh’s Hundred Acre Wood along with the four other Winnie-the-Pooh illustrations will be sold at the English Literature, History, Science, Children’s Books and Illustrations sale in London on 10^th July with a combined estimate of £310,000-£440,000.

For more information, visit sothebys.com

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