A. A. Milne and Brian Jones--linked by a house

Although inspired by Milne's classic character, this book is illustrated by Ernest Shepard and written by Anna Ludlow. For vintage children's books, visit http://www.childscapes.com/bookpages/shepard.html

I love this quote from the creator of Winnie the Pooh, A. A. Milne: “One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries.” That has become my battle cry now that I am about to give up on ever “feng-shui-ing” my office. Of course, maybe I should read the book, Pooh's Little Book of Feng Shui before I totally stop my struggles against encroaching paper, books, and clutter. In light of Milne's wittisism on disorderliness, one wonders what Milne would have thought of the book?

An interesting fact about Milne that you may or may not know is that he wrote an excellent mystery for adult readers in 1921 titled The Red House Mystery. This was one of the early works of the genre, which was still in its infancy and was being shaped and formed by, among others, Agatha Christy and Dorothy L. Sayres. Milne used the house he lived in as the model for the house in the book, as well as for the setting of the Pooh books. The Red House was in reality called Cotchford Farm, located in Sussex, England. Later in the 20th century, it was also the house owned by early Rolling Stone member Brian Jones, who died there under mysterious circumstances during a riotous party at the house in 1969.