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Pooh and the Philosophers : In Which It Is Shown That All of Western Philosophy Is Merely a Preamble to Winnie-The-Pooh Hardcover – August 1, 1996
- Reading age4 years and up
- Print length212 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Dimensions5.56 x 1 x 7.56 inches
- PublisherDutton Books
- Publication dateAugust 1, 1996
- ISBN-100525455205
- ISBN-13978-0525455202
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Product details
- Publisher : Dutton Books
- Publication date : August 1, 1996
- Language : English
- Print length : 212 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0525455205
- ISBN-13 : 978-0525455202
- Item Weight : 11.2 ounces
- Reading age : 4 years and up
- Dimensions : 5.56 x 1 x 7.56 inches
- Part of series : Winnie-the-Pooh
- Best Sellers Rank: #365,139 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #392 in Parody
- #555 in Modern Western Philosophy
- #672 in Children's General Humor Books
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors

E.H.Shepard was born in London in 1879. He won a scholarship to the Royal Academy Schools and later worked as an artist, illustrator and cartoonist. Shepard’s witty and loving decorations of Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood have become an inseparable part of the Pooh stories, and classics in their own right.

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- Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2019This one if the strangest things i have read. The intro alone is so packed with "information " i had to bang my head on the wall and take a nap halfway through reading.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2013Format: HardcoverVerified PurchaseI have read, re read, and re re read this book. It's really not that big of a book, but I enjoyed every bit of it. It kind of explains how Pooh is actually smarter than the rest of the characters. Warning: This big is very deep in thought.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2016Format: HardcoverVerified PurchaseEverything Winne is wonderful. Kept it for myself
- Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2016Format: HardcoverVerified PurchaseAll around great experience!
- Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2011Having read The Tao of Pooh and Te of Piglet (Wisdom of Pooh), I came across this book by accident in a bookshop and bought it on impulse. The premise of the book is that the stories of Winnie the Pooh and the House at Pooh Corner contain the whole of western philosophy.
The book examines how key ideas from the thinking of Plato through to the existentialists are described through these two stories. Indeed given that these stories were published in 1926 and 1928 a number of more recent philosophers are shown to have provided either footnotes to the Pooh stories or have expounded on them.
The first thing to say is that this is an enjoyable, fun and eminently readable book. I initially approached it with some scepticism and for the first part of the book harboured the fear that I may be the subject of a joke on the basis that given enough analysis the London tube timetable can probably be shown to have the key thoughts of Karl Marx or be shown to predict the date of the apocalypse. As I read through the book however I became more and more drawn into the underpinning ideas of what I had previously seen as children's stories and to my surprise found that through them I was adding considerably to my understanding of the philosophers thinking.
As I began to accept the argument of a philosophical basis to the stories my intrigue switched to the nature of communicating ideas. A.A. Milne it appears had taken the extremely dry and largely inaccessible topic of philosophy and packaged it up in the most accessible of children's stories. If this is what he has done, then maybe he was just too clever since most readers of Winnie the Pooh have no idea that they are reading about philosophy. Of course this is probably a virtue since many readers would run a mile if they thought they were invited to read a philosophy book. For other readers who want to have the philosophy pointed out to them perhaps Milne set out to sow a seed which has taken 75 years to germinate and now be revealed in this book.
The book establishes a convincing case that the thinking of western philosophy is contained in these apparently simple stories. Interesting though this is, more importantly it has revealed a great deal of insight about the nature of communicating ideas.
This book provides an insightful glimpse into the use of stories to communicate complex ideas. More importantly just as the Winnie the Pooh stories do, it does so in a way that you learn almost by accident without feeling you had to try.
If you want to learn about thinking without having to feel that you have to think, or would like to understand philosophy without the need to read a philosophy book then this is the book for you.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2015Format: HardcoverAll in all this book was an average book - it is a brief introduction to the classical world of Winnie-the-Pooh (not that Disney recreation) and western philosophy. What it does not do is go into any great detail on either area. It's tone is also extremely sarcastic and at time hostile towards the philosophers (the section on Sartre should be viewed as a direct attack, not an unbiased analysis). The book does one thing, however, which redeems it for all of its many short comings - it shows the reader that the stories of Winnie-the-Pooh are inherently philosophical. While this may seem obvious to some readers, many people cannot see the philosophic overtones in popular culture. It is not their fault, it is simply a skill which takes training.
Reading this book can help people open their eyes to philosophies presence in the great works of fiction which define our culture. It is something that proves philosophy to be useful and important. The book also points the reader to a number of philosophers and books written by them and their school which can lead them to learning more. It can be a gateway for the love of wisdom, with a love of "The Great Bear" and the guide to that first discovery. And that is what makes this book worth reading.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2019Format: HardcoverVerified PurchaseI had hoped that some serious thought-provoking ideas would have been explored. Instead, what I got was a lot of silly stuff. Did I just misunderstand the purpose of the book? Possibly.
Top reviews from other countries
J. W. PlattReviewed in the United Kingdom on October 28, 20145.0 out of 5 stars drawing the reader into the world of the great philosophers with wit
A genuine tour de force, drawing the reader into the world of the great philosophers with wit, dry humour, incisiveness and insight in a way that, from what at first may seem an unlikely relationship of characters, brings, readability, clarity, and a great sense of wonder from those of us brought up on Pooh as to what a champion of the common man this bear was. Pooh's claim to be "a bear of little brain" falls into the happy fields of self-effacement. The author, a former much revered teacher and latter a scholar of distinction, is to be congratulated for this lovely book.
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kbReviewed in Germany on May 3, 20235.0 out of 5 stars Tolles Buch
Meine Tochter hat das Buch lange gesucht und ist sehr zufrieden
Paul AshbyReviewed in the United Kingdom on August 4, 20235.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful
Format: HardcoverVerified PurchasePerfect childlike introduction to the subject of Philosophy.
Ivan SayerReviewed in the United Kingdom on June 30, 20194.0 out of 5 stars Excellent value
Format: HardcoverVerified PurchaseFun and informative read
john woodwardReviewed in the United Kingdom on October 24, 20205.0 out of 5 stars Suprisingly good
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchasean excellent read for young and old interested in ideas





