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I
Printing orders were given for When We Were Very Young on 17 September, 1924 for 110 large paper copies on hand-made paper and 5140 regular trade copies. The printing of the trade copies was completed by 5 November (with 35 overs) and bound, along with 10 traveller's samples, between 21 October and 2 December, 1924.[3] One hundred thirteen copies on hand-made paper were printed by 3 October. Publication date was 6 November, 1924, and a copy of the limited printing was registered for copyright in the British Museum on 11 November.
Of importance to collectors is the presence or absence of printed end-papers in copies of this first printing. It is often quoted that printed end-papers are present in some regular trade copies and absent in others, the inference being that those copies with plain end-papers are an earlier issue. The records show, however, that printed end-papers were not ordered until 18 November, six days after the second trade impression had been ordered, and were first used in copies of the second impression. Thus the complete first impression has plain white
When We Were Very Young was enthusiastically received, and on 7 November electroplates were made for further printings. On 12 November a second trade impression of 5182 copies was ordered, and this was followed by four additional printings during 1924 totaling 43,843 copies. These same plates were used through the 15th printing of 7 December, 1926. On 2 June, 1927 and again on 13 December, 1940, type was reset and new electroplates were made.
The publishers have not distinguished between "edition" and "impression" in their production records; each new printing is called a new "edition." By McKerrow's definitions of edition and impression[4] the printing of 12 November, 1924 is actually the second impression of the first edition, even though it is the first printing from the first set of electroplates. Likewise, those books of the "16th edition" are actually the first impression of the second edition, printed from the second set of electroplates prepared on 2 June, 1927. And books designated as "32nd edition" are the first impression of the third edition, printed from the third set of electroplates prepared on 13 December, 1940.
A summary of the printing of each of the four books under discussion will be found in the table at the end. Information includes: 1) title and edition; 2) dates of the original setting of type and subsequent electroplates; 3) dates printing was ordered; 4) number of copies printed.
The success of When We Were Very Young resulted in a second children's book, Winnie-the-Pooh. Methuen's confidence in Winnie is evidenced by their ordering two sets of electroplates before printing had begun. This was on 13 August, 1926. Three days later printing orders were given for 365 large paper copies on hand-made paper and 24 copies on Japanese vellum. These were advertised as 350 on hand-made paper and 20 on Japanese vellum. 35,000 regular trade copies were ordered printed on 17 August. Of these, 30,000 were printed by 31 August and ordered bound the same day. These were received from the binder, along with 11 traveller's samples, between 3 September and 13 October, 1926. They were placed on sale 14 October, 1926, and one of the 24 copies on Japanese vellum was registered for copyright in the British Museum on 3 November.
An additional 3000 copies of the first trade impression were printed by 11 September and ordered bound in red, blue, and green leather by Burn the same day. It was not until 8 October, 1926, that printing was completed for the remaining 2000 trade copies (with 67 overs), along with the 365 copies on hand-made paper (with 7 overs), and the 24 copies on Japanese vellum (with 3 overs). Binding was completed for the regular trade copies by 20 October; the copies on hand-made paper by 29 October; and the copies on Japanese vellum by 18 November.
The same set of electroplates was used through the 27th impression of 26 November, 1941. Type was reset, new electroplates made, and the first impression of the second edition was ordered printed on 9 March, 1942. This is called the "28th edition" by Methuen. The old electroplates were melted down on 23 March and the second setting of type was distributed on 28 September, 1942.
Now We Are Six was Milne's next children's book. Electroplates were made of the first type setting on 21 July, 1927. On 3 August printing orders were given for 50,000 regular trade copies, 218 large paper copies on hand-made paper, and 26 copies on Japanese vellum. By 23 August printing was completed for 40,000 trade copies and the complete impressions on vellum and hand-made paper.[5] On the same day all copies were ordered bound. The trade copies were bound and returned to Methuen between 28 May and 6 October, 1927. The copies on hand-made paper were bound between 1 September and 7 October, and the copies on Japanese vellum between 14 September and 1 October. Publication date was 13 October, 1927, and one of the 26 copies on Japanese vellum was registered for copyright at the British Museum on the same day.
Of the remaining 10,000 regular trade copies, 5048 were ordered bound in cloth on 10 September and were received from the binder between 6 October and 15 October. The final 5000 trade copies were ordered bound in leather by Ship Binding Company on 13 September: 1500 copies each in blue and green leather, and 2000 copies in red. Binding was completed between 17 September, 1927 and 2 November, 1928.
The same set of electroplates was used through the 18th impression of 9 March, 1942. Type was reset, new electroplates made, and the first impression of the second edition was ordered printed on 9 June, 1942. This is called the "19th edition" by Methuen. Type was distributed
The last of Milne's books to be discussed is The House at Pooh Corner. Electroplates were made of the first type setting on 14 August, 1928. Printing orders were given the same day for 75,000 regular trade copies, 360 copies on hand-made paper, and 28 copies on Japanese vellum. Forty-five thousand one hundred seventy-seven trade copies were printed by 23 August and ordered bound the same day. The binding of these, along with 300 traveller's samples, was completed between 23 June and 31 October.
By 7 September, 25,100 additional trade copies had been printed. Twenty thousand of these were ordered bound the same day by Ship Binding Company and were completed by 27 November. Also on 7 September an additional binding order went out to Ship for 4000 trade copies to be bound in leather: 1200 in blue, 1200 in green, and 1600 in red. Binding of these 4000 copies was completed by 3 October, 1929.
By 10 September the 28 special copies on Japanese vellum and the 360 copies on hand-made paper (with 13 overs) had been printed and ordered bound. The Japanese vellum copies were bound by 10 October and the copies on hand-made paper by 11 October. Publication date was 11 October, 1928, and one of the 28 copies on Japanese vellum was registered for copyright at the British Museum on 17 October.
On 11 October an additional binding order for 4524 trade copies was given to Ship. These were returned by 4 January, 1929. A final binding order was given on 4 January, 1929, for 150 trade copies to be bound in blue leather. These were completed by 12 February, 1929.
The same set of electroplates was used through the 16th impression of 9 March, 1942. Type was reset, new electroplates made, and the first impression of the second edition was ordered printed on 9 June, 1942. This is called the "17th edition" by Methuen.
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