Milne, Alan Alexander

(1882-1956)

   Born in London, he was educated at Westminster School and graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1903. In 1906, he became assistant editor of Punch, where his humorous verse and whimsical essays attracted a large readership. He left Punch in 1919 to devote his time to stage comedy and he had many successes, including the stage adaptation of Kenneth Grahame's (see entry) Wind in the Willows (1929). His first play, WurzelFlummery, was staged in 1917, followed by Mr. Pim Passes By (1920), The Dover Road (1921), The Truth About Blayds (1922), and Michael and Mary (1930). He also wrote The Red House Mystery, a detective story (1922), two novels and many essays. He died at his home at Hartfield, Sussex. His poetry publications: When We Were Very Young, 1924 (a series of verses for children dedicated to his son, Christopher Robin, then aged 4). Winnie-the-Pooh, 1926. Now We Are Six, 1927. The House at Pooh Corner, 1928. Some of his poems: "At the Zoo," "Buckingham Palace," "Furry Bear," "King Hilary and the Beggarman," "Sneezles," "The Emperor's Rhyme," "Vespers," "Wind on the Hill."

   Sources: Dictionary of National Biography. Electronic Edition 1.1. Oxford University Press, 1997. Encyclopædia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite DVD, 2006. Favorite Poems Old and New. Helen Ferris, ed. Doubleday, 1957. The National Portrait Gallery (www.npg.org.uk). Piping Down the Valley Wild: Poetry for the Young of All Ages, Nancy Larrick, ed. Delacorte Press, 1968. Sing a Song of Popcorn: Every Child's Book of Poems. Beatrice Schenck De Regniers and others, eds. Scholastic, 1988. The Columbia Granger's Index to Poetry. 11th ed. The Columbia Granger's World of Poetry, Columbia University Press, 2005 (http://www.columbiagrangers.org). The Oxford Companion to English Literature. 6th edition. Margaret Drabble, ed. Oxford University Press, 2000. Unauthorized Versions: Poems lib.utexas.edu:8080/search/epoetry/author.html). The Columbia Granger's Index to Poetry. 11th ed. The Columbia Granger's World of Poetry, Columbia University Press, 2005 (http://www.columbiagrangers.org). The Reliques of Father Prout (Francis Sylvester Mahony). Oliver Yorke, ed. George Bell and Sons, 1889.