Four books by one author became classics almost as soon as they were published in the 1920s: When We Were Very Young (1924), Winnie-the-Pooh (1926), Now We Are Six (1927), and The House at Pooh Corner (1928). Names such as "Pooh Bear" and "Poohsticks" are firmly lodged in the English language; the adventures of Pooh are not only well known but recapitulated in the lives of children; and the poems are recited by children all over the world in many different languages. Their phenomenal popularity is owing in part to the illustrations of E. H. Shepard, which capture the subtle humor, the generous spirit, and the amiable style of the author.

Alan Alexander Milne (he was first named Alexander Sydney but his parents changed their minds and named him Alan Alexander instead) was born at Henley House, Mortimer Road, Hampstead, London, the third and last child of John Vine Milne and Sarah...