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$12.09
21. A.A. Milne: His Life
$9.95
22. The Sunny Side: Short Stories
 
23. The Tao of Pooh
$32.00
24. Masterwork Studies Series - Winnie-the-Pooh
 
$25.00
25. The Brilliant Career of Winnie-the-Pooh
26. Pooh's Workout Book
$4.44
27. Disney's Winnie the Pooh (Welcome
$8.98
28. Three Cheers for Pooh: The Best
29. The Pooh Book of Quotations
$8.73
30. Little Big Book of Pooh, The (Welcome
$9.46
31. The Pooh Perplex : A Freshman
$4.29
32. Pooh and the Philosophers : In
$12.99
33. Postmodern Pooh
$0.75
34. The Te of Piglet

21. A.A. Milne: His Life
by Ann Thwaite
Paperback: 408 Pages (2007-04-01)
list price: US$19.95 -- used & new: US$12.09
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0752440853
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars
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Editorial Review

Book Description

A.A. Milne is one of the most successful English writers ever. His heart-warming creations—Winnie-the-Pooh, Christopher Robin, Eeyore, Tigger and Piglet—have become some of the best-loved children’s characters of all time, and readers the world over are familiar with the stories from the Hundred Acre Wood.Yet the man himself has remained an enigma. Although in many ways his behaviour was that of a typical golf-playing, pipe-smok-ing Englishman, Milne refused to be typecast, and his publishers despaired when he turned from writing popular columns for Punch to writing detective stories. They complained again when the detective writer presented them with a set of children’s verse, but when When We Were Very Young became one of the best-selling books of all time, Milne’s credibility as one of the world’s favorite authors was sealed.
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Customer Reviews (2)

5-0 out of 5 stars The definitive biography of A.A. Milne
It really is too bad that all the good books seem to be out of print. When I saw this one on sale, I knew I had to grab it -- good, bad or indifferent, a book of this size that would give me so much information on one of my favorite authors had to be mine.

Little did I know what a treasure trove I'd found. A.A. Milne had written an autobiography, of course (in which he kept much of himself "buttoned up", so to speak), and his son Christopher (Robin) Milne had added to that in his own autobiographical trilogy; but no one had done a definitive biography. Ann Thwaite got Christopher's permission to try, but Christopher himself felt he would be of little help; all the relevant information seemed to have been destroyed by his mother. Happily, that was far from the case; much had been sold to the University of Texas at Austin and Trinity College in England, and many other family members and acquaintances were able to assist.

The result of Ms. Thwaite's massive efforts is a very detailed, yet very readable biography of a complex man. If there is a great deal of background on Christopher and the Pooh Books along the way, so much the better; but Alan Alexander Milne was a highly regarded writer and editor for Punch and a highly successful playwright long before his short interlude as an author for children. Ironically, it was the Pooh Books that made his fame -- and added an unwelcome burden to his son's life. Yet his natural and acquired pacifism is no less evident in his adult writings, especially in his works pleading for the abolition of war.

If you are a lover of the Pooh Books and want to learn about the man behind them, this is the book to beg, borrow, or...well, maybe someone will permit you to photocopy it. Not I. ....

5-0 out of 5 stars A Pity
It is a great pity that books like this go out of print: a pity that goes hand-in-hand with the subject. Of A. A. Milne's hundred or so plays, books and poetry, only five books remain in print. Four of them we all know, the fifth is 'Toad of Toad Hall', and adaptation of Graham's 'Wind in the Willows'. Few people realise that, during his life, Milne was most valued as a playwright. Thwaite realsied this, and that is perhaps why the book is no longer available, despite its brilliance.Twaite concentrates on his wonderful plays and adult books (which can be found if 2nd hand bookshops are searched long enough) with a sensitive yet hard-hitting analysis of the reclusive author. Nobody should be allowed to read the Winnie the Pooh books (brilliant as they are) without reading this. Milne would have wanted it. Superb book. I hope Ann reads this review! ... Read more


22. The Sunny Side: Short Stories and Poems for Proper Grown-Ups
by A.a. Milne
Hardcover: 320 Pages (2007-07-01)
list price: US$19.95 -- used & new: US$9.95
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0061227099
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars
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Editorial Review

Book Description

From the beloved creator of Winnie-the-Pooh comes an irresistible collection of short stories guaranteed to delight readers of all ages.

Drawing from a collection of stories originally published in 1921 and chosen exclusively by the author himself, The Sunny Side gathers the best short works by the inimitable A. A. Milne. Written for the satire magazine Punch, these brief stories and essays perfectly capture Milne's sly humor, beguiling social insight, and scathing wit. From "Odd Verses" to "War Sketches," "Summer Days" to "Men of Letters," Milne takes his readers from the stiff British drawing room to the irreverent joy of a boy's day at the beach. Ideal for curling up with in the hammock or stretching out by the fire, these tales shine brightly any day of the year.

Complete with a series of whimsical illustrations, The Sunny Side offers the perfect chance to rediscover this forgotten classic by one of our most cherished authors.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

5-0 out of 5 stars A delightful little book
If the reader is looking for something like "Winnie the Pooh", this book is not for him/her--unless s/he sees characters such as Owl and Rabbit as satirical portrayals. But the stories and poems contained in this book are delightful, light, satirical pieces, especially lampooning those who might seriously consider themselves to be "proper grown-ups". The stories and poems themselves are short, so the book can be picked up, read for a few minutes, and set down easily. It's a nice little diversion, especially from a world that tends to take itself much too seriously. ... Read more


23. The Tao of Pooh
 Paperback: Pages (1983-07)

Isbn: 9994369458
Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars
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Editorial Review

Amazon.com
Is there such thing as a Western Taoist? Benjamin Hoff says there is, and this Taoist's favorite food is honey. Through brilliant and witty dialogue with the beloved Pooh-bear and his companions, the author of this smash bestseller explains with ease and aplomb that rather than being a distant and mysterious concept, Taoism is as near and practical to us as our morning breakfast bowl. Romp through the enchanting world of Winnie-the-Pooh while soaking up invaluable lessons on simplicity and natural living.Book Description
One of the world's great Taoist masters isn't Chinese, or a venerable philosopher, but is in fact none other than A. A. Milne's effortlessly calm, still, reflective bear Winnie-the-Pooh. While Eeyore frets and Piglet hesitates and Rabbit calculates and Owl pontificates, Pooh just is. And that's the clue to the secret wisdom of the Taoists. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (207)

5-0 out of 5 stars Good quick read!!!!
This was a good quick read.Very peaceful, entertaining, and it kept me reading until the end. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interersted in eastern religion.

5-0 out of 5 stars Suprisingly Good Book
I had to read this book for a class. I was suprised by how interesting it was. Hoff uses fictional characters to define the Tao religion. If you are looking for insight on other religions, I suggest this book.

5-0 out of 5 stars Possibly the Best Explanation of Taoism
The Tao of Pooh is a wonderful, simple explanation of the basic tenets of Taoism.It is not the end-all-be-all of Taoism reference, but for those of us interested in learning more about Eastern Thought, it is a delightfully entertaining way of doing so.

I don't think Pooh knew he was quite the philosopher, and I'm not sure A. A. Milne intended him to be, but it turns out that he explains basic Taoism very well.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about basic Taoism, wants to make positive changes in their lives, or who just loves Pooh and has an open mind.

5-0 out of 5 stars Loved this book, tiddly pom...
This was a delightful read. Funny, engaging and full of innate wisdom, Pooh-style. Tiddly pom, pom, pom. This book merrily reveals that Truth is everywhere, especially in children's literature! Read and giggle and understand yourself a little better.
www.yourpotentialpower.com

5-0 out of 5 stars A particular way of living
This book is based around the idea that A. A. Milne's stories of Winnie-The-Pooh can be used to illustrate the basic notions of Taoism.Hoff is not by any means arguing that Milne was a Taoist. He is merely saying that Milne's inner attitude to life, as revealed by the stories, intuitively follow along the same path as Taoism.Owl is wise, Rabbit is cleaver and Eeore is smugly superior but the real hero of the books is Pooh, the apparently stupid yet strangely successful and able bear.

The book covers the Taoist principles of:

Tao, or theindescribable Way of the universe,
P'u, or natural simplicity, the Uncarved Block,
Inner Nature, being those things that make us exactly who we are,
Wu Wei, or proceeding without doing, causing, or making,
Tzu Jan, or 'self so', meaning that things happen by themselves, spontaneously,
Tz'u, or caring and compassion, and,
T'ai Hsu, or the Great Nothing.

Along the way we learn the pitfalls of being too busy and the benefits of doing nothing (for example meditation and contemplation).Having read this I now try to arrange my day so that I can spend half an hour a day in my garden with my cat just doing nothing but observing nature and thinking the thoughts that come to mind.I recommend it to everyone.
... Read more


24. Masterwork Studies Series - Winnie-the-Pooh (Masterwork Studies Series)
by Connolly
Board book: 142 Pages (1994-12-09)
list price: US$32.00 -- used & new: US$32.00
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0805788107
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Editorial Review

Book Description
Series Editor: Robert Lecker, McGill University

Written in an easy-to-read, accessible style by teachers with years of classroom experience, Masterwork Studies are guides to the literary works most frequently studied in high school. Presenting ideas that spark imaginations, these books help students to gain background knowledge on great literature useful for papers and exams. The goal of each study is to encourage creative thinking by presenting engaging information about each work and its author. This approach allows students to arrive at sound analyses of their own, based on in-depth studies of popular literature. Each volume:

  • Illuminates themes and concepts of a classic text
  • Uses clear, conversational language
  • Is an accessible, manageable length from 140 to 170 pages
  • Includes a chronology of the author's life and era
  • Provides an overview of the historical context
  • Offers a summary of its critical reception
  • Lists primary and secondary sources and index
... Read more

25. The Brilliant Career of Winnie-the-Pooh
by Ann Thwaite
 Hardcover: 192 Pages (1994-09-01)
list price: US$25.00 -- used & new: US$25.00
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0525452486
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26. Pooh's Workout Book
by Ethan Mordden
Paperback: 170 Pages (1985-07-02)
list price: US$5.95
Isbn: 0140083049
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars
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Customer Reviews (1)

5-0 out of 5 stars What A Fun Way To Keep In Shape!
Anything with Pooh and friends is full of fun.Now even Workouts acn be fun.By using the Pooh's Workout Book - you can gain those cuddly love handles you always wanted.There are other shapes you can workout for.We have Tigger shape and a Piglet shape - plus more.We have water sports, as done with Eeyore.You can even workout to your own shape. ... Read more


27. Disney's Winnie the Pooh (Welcome Book)
by Christopher Finch
Paperback: 176 Pages (2002-04-01)
list price: US$20.00 -- used & new: US$4.44
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0786853441
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Customer Reviews (2)

4-0 out of 5 stars A Great Overview of the World of Pooh
Christopher Finch is one of the premier authors on Disney and animation history.Winnie-the-Pooh: A Celebration of the Silly Old Bear is definitely one of his best works.While it may not quite match up to the sheer power of his most recognized book on Disney, The Art of Walt Disney, it is definitely a wonderful look at Winnie-the-Pooh.The book appropriately starts out with a look at A.A. Milne, the author of the original Pooh books.The chapter on Milne is clear, concise, and very informative.As the bookslides into the Disney version of Pooh is starts to "Disnify".There is the chapter on the four Pooh shorts, the chapter on each of the characters, etc.While these sections are interesting, they seem a little static.There could be more on the relationships and interactions between the characters.The book serves as more of a basic guide to the world of Pooh than anything else.

If you want a nice gift book that is a fantastic overview of how the Disney pooh came to be, you will probably enjoy this book.There is yet to be a book published, though, that truly delves into how Disney made Pooh such a worldwide smash success, but right now this is the definitive book on the Disney Pooh.

5-0 out of 5 stars A Must for Collectors!
The greatest thing about this book is the large number of pictures thatshow the evolution of the "pooh" phenomenon.It has a largenumber of cell reproductions, artist storyboard sketches, as well asdrawings from the original books.The writing is also wonderful, coveringthe orginal books, each of the movies, and pooh collecting!A must have! I received one as a gift, andam ordering copies for my pooh collectingfriends. ... Read more


28. Three Cheers for Pooh: The Best Bear in All the World
by Brian Sibley, Ernest Shepard
Hardcover: 121 Pages (2001-09-30)
list price: US$22.95 -- used & new: US$8.98
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: B000BZ6UUS
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars
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Editorial Review

Amazon.com
Seventy-five years after he was introduced to readers by author A.A.Milne, the "best bear in all the world" continues to delight new generations ofchildren (and one or two grownups, as well!) in such classics as Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner. BrianSibley, avid Pooh devotee (and editor of The Pooh Book of Quotations),here gathers a fascinating collection of biographical information aboutWinnie-the-Pooh, A.A. Milne, the real Christopher Robin, Ernest H. Shepard, andmany other "collaborators" in the creation of a childhood archetype. Readerswill learn Milne's initial opinion of Shepard as an illustrator, how Pooh cameto have so many names, and whether there was ever a real bear named Winnie.Packed with illustrations and sketches by Shepard, as well as photographs,newspaper articles, and manuscript pages, this attractively designed book willplease Pooh fans of all ages--and answer a few long-wondered questions about thebeginnings of the beloved Bear of Very Little Brain. (Ages 7 and older)--Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

5-0 out of 5 stars Great story behind the stories
I loved reading the behnd-the-scenes of Pooh and friends. Very well written, and in the flavor of Milne's originals, with pictures and verses throughout!

5-0 out of 5 stars A magnificent, timely tribute.
This lovely publication commemorates the 75th anniversary of the publication of "Winnie-the-Pooh." It's not a storybook -- it's a sort of "biography" of Winnie-the-Pooh, the Milne family, and Ernest Shepard. The book has lots of interesting trivia for Pooh-ophiles like me and lots of quotes from the Milne stories and verse, as well as beautiful prints of some of the well-known and lesser-known Shepard illustrations. I'm not sure why the book was designed as oversize. This is a lovely, well done book that's going to have apermanent place on my shelf next to my beloved Pooh books. I love it. ... Read more


29. The Pooh Book of Quotations
Hardcover: 128 Pages (1991-10-30)
list price: US$14.99
Isbn: 0525448241
Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars
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Customer Reviews (1)

4-0 out of 5 stars Lovable Pooh Quotes
In the classic tradition of A.A. Milne, this compilationcaptures all the enchanment of the Hundred Acre Wood.The selectedquotes are endearing and will send any reader back to their days of childhood.An excellent gift for the Pooh lover in your family. ... Read more


30. Little Big Book of Pooh, The (Welcome Book)
by Monique Peterson
Hardcover: 352 Pages (2002-09-01)
list price: US$24.95 -- used & new: US$8.73
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0786853646
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Editorial Review

Book Description
Fun facts, little-known lore, and personality profiles of favorite friends from the Hundred-Acre Wood are among the many wonders to be found in this delicious volume of all things Pooh. Chock-full of Tigger-ific information presented with a fresh approach, The Little Big Book of Pooh will provide hours of 'Pooh-rusing' pleasure. This unique volume covers a vast range of subjects, including Pooh's origin, literary success, and his brilliant career in animated films and television specials. Also featured are places in the Hundred-Acre Wood and character profiles, accompanied by trivia tidbits, recipes, gardening tips, and much, much more. Open to any of this chunky little book's 352 pages and you'll find enchantingly designed art and text to delight the eye and satisfy the curious, silly old bear in all of us. Monique Peterson is a writer and contributing editor on numerous books about Disney, including The Encyclopedia of Walt Disney's Animated Characters and The Little Big Book of Disney. ... Read more


31. The Pooh Perplex : A Freshman Casebook
by Frederick C. Crews
Paperback: 164 Pages (2003-02)
list price: US$16.00 -- used & new: US$9.46
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0226120589
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Editorial Review

Book Description

In this devastatingly funny classic, Frederick Crews skewers the ego-inflated pretensions of the schools and practitioners of literary criticism popular in the 1960s, including Freudians, Aristotelians, and New Critics. Modeled on the "casebooks" often used in freshman English classes at the time, The Pooh Perplex contains twelve essays written in different critical voices, complete with ridiculous footnotes, tongue-in-cheek "questions and study projects," and hilarious biographical notes on the contributors. This edition contains a new preface by the author that compares literary theory then and now and identifies some of the real-life critics who were spoofed in certain chapters.
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Customer Reviews (6)

5-0 out of 5 stars First-rate satire
If I ever read Winnie the Pooh, it was decades ago and I have long since forgotten it.An ignorance of WtP, however, is no obstacle to reading TPP.As others note, below, TPP is a terrific sendup of literary theories (and theorists) current in the mid-sixties academy.(It is often laugh-out-loud funny.)The critical intention that underlies this slim volume is also very much on the mark.TPP would be a satisfying read for critical thinkers everywhere, and an instructive read for anyone lacking in critical faculties.(Hmm...A mandatory read for rising college freshmen...?)

5-0 out of 5 stars Brilliant and funny
It was probably the publication of Postmodern Pooh, Frederick Crews's second venture into Pooh studies, that explains the renewed availability of The Pooh Perplex more than 40 years after its first appearance. But whatever the reason, it is an excellent thing that modern readers can get hold of it, both because it is a brilliant and witty book in itself and also because it makes a natural companion for Postmodern Pooh.

For those who have not met the book before it should be explained that it is a series of parodies of different styles of literary criticism (those that were fashionable in the 1960s) applied to Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner, collected together as a "case book" of the kind that was then popular for elementary English courses, and accompanied by Questions and Study Projects prepared by the editor, ostensibly Crews himself, but in reality as much of a parody as the articles themselves.

No doubt one would need to be familiar already with the parodied styles to get the most from the book, but no matter; one can get a great deal of amusement from it without any specialist knowledge, and some of the sources are fairly obvious even to non-specialists, the Freudian analysis by "Karl Anschauung", for example, or the proletarian analysis by "Martin Tempralis". On the other hand, readers born since the book was written may not easily recognize F. R. Leavis thinly disguised as "Simon Lacerous".

The non-specialist reader will easily be tempted to believe that Crews is exaggerating. Surely no serious expert on English literature could really express some of the sillier ideas expressed in this book? Alas, he amply demonstrates with real quotations from real (and apparently serious) publications that they could and they did.

5-0 out of 5 stars The Pooh Perplex
I first read The Pooh Perplex in the summer before my freshman year of college; my father presented it to me as an encapsulation of the reasons why he had abandoned his English major. I had not yet encountered Leavis, Crane, and the other critics so marvelously parodied in Crews's book, but I spent a good few hours shrieking with laughter at Myron Masterson's vision of Kanga as castrating "'Mom' figure" and Simon Lacerous's characterization of the bear himself as a flabby old Tory with a string of knightly titles and an overfondness for condensed milk.

Then I came to college and took a Literary Criticism and Theory class; with wonder, I recognized in my casebook more and more of the bizarre characters inhabiting Crews's topsy-turvy hermeneutic milieu. Oddest of all, I found that my reading of The Pooh Perplex had actually provided me with a fairly solid overview of structuralism, Marxist theory, and other critical concoctions my professor obliged me to imbibe. And when I gave Crews's work a second reading, I discovered a myriad of hilarities that had previously passed me by.

Though it is depressing that Crews's zany satire can help a student of literature grasp the principal critical theories of the past fifty years, I disagree with my father's justification for forsaking his major. Many critics unintentionally self-parody; to endure their bombast, the reader must absorb the good, dismiss the inane, and find in the ludicrous a scrap or two of humor. Fortunately, we have Crews to assist us with that last task. Satire is a dying art; read The Pooh Perplex to understand why it is still necessary.

4-0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully funny stuff
I ran across a reference to Postmodern Pooh about a week ago, and I decided to read Crews' first Pooh satire before reading the latest.What a gas!Crews takes the prevalent methods of literary criticism leading up to the 1960s and apes them with a deft touch.One of my favorite moments was when "C. J. L. Culpepper, D.Litt., Oxon.," after determining the Christic nature of Eeyore, declares that Christopher Robin is a stand-in for God the Father.He proves this simply: "Christopher Robin" is an anagram for "I HOPE CHRIST BORN. R."("I take this to be a decree in the hortatory imperative, dispatched to the Heavenly Host, urging the speedy fulfillment of the Incarnation and signed 'R' for REX.")

Admittedly, the book does drag at times, but only rarely, and probably due to Crews' too perfect mimicry of the rather dry literary personae being roasted over the flames.Not many books make me laugh out loud on every page -- this is one of them.

5-0 out of 5 stars How dare this book ever be out of print?
This is a brilliant send-up of the pretentious critiques that has masqueraded as literary criticism since pseudo-intellectualism was first invented by which mental-nonentities could parade as our moral superiors. Just read it.Absolutely convincing, and a breath of fresh air.You willlove it - unless you are one of the poseurs, of course.But it will stillbe devastatingly funny. ... Read more


32. Pooh and the Philosophers : In Which It Is Shown That All of Western Philosophy Is Merely a Preamble to Winnie-The-Pooh
by John Tyerman Williams
Hardcover: 224 Pages (1996-08-01)
list price: US$15.99 -- used & new: US$4.29
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0525455205
Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars
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Customer Reviews (7)

3-0 out of 5 stars an attempt to relate Pooh to western philosophy ruined by stretching a point once too often
Pooh and the Philosophers is an attempt to link everything Pooh to western philosophy and thus provide the reader with a nice introduction to said. The problem is, in stretching the actions and utterances of Winnie-the-Pooh to an extreme, there is little space left to describe the details of western philosophy. So the reader is left scrambling to keep focused on the sparse details of western philosophy provided which are inter spaced by long periods of Winnie-the-Pooh details. I was not able to learn much from this book as a result and I found it very frustrating.

3-0 out of 5 stars A bit of a far stretch, but interesting...
This book is reminiscent of the writings of conspiracy theorists.The author takes a number of threads from A.A. Milne's Pooh books and interprets them in a way to turn Pooh into the greatest teacher of Western philosophy.At the start, it seems entirely outlandish, but halfway through, you will start thinking, "Jeez, I suppose that could be true.., it makes sense, I think."Here's an example.Pooh gets a balloon from Christopher Robin in order to reach some honey.Williams posits the theory that this is referring to the earliest Greek philosophers, who were greatly interested in cosmology.The balloon, he says, represents the round earth, floating in space.The honey, thanks to Pooh's secrecy surrounding why he wanted the balloon, represents philosophical truth.In other words, the realization that the earth is round is a step towards philosophical truth.However, Pooh fails to get the honey, showing that the path to truth is not so simple."We must not expect our first endeavours to lead us to our goal."

While this book is presented in somewhat of a tounge-in-cheek format, there is little doubt that Williams is earnest in his belief, and this book could serve as a bit of a basic primer on Western philosophy as it introduces the theories of a number of great philosophers.However, this is VERY basic, and the book itself is a bit of a trifle.I'd say it's worth a read, but don't take it too seriously.

1-0 out of 5 stars Western Philosophy is so un-Pooh-ish
If there was a ZERO star rating, I would have given it here.I became interested in this book after reading and thoroughly enjoying the "Tao of Pooh" by Benjamin Hoff.Unfortunately, I quickly found out that this is the wrong book and for good reasons.First of all I found it extremely boring and often difficult to follow.This deficiency however is merely the symptom of a much deeper problem inherent in the attempt to use Pooh out of all creatures to illustrate Western philosophy.Pooh is the epitome of an easygoing fellow, someone who doesn't take himself too seriously, and who lives each day for itself.This is almost the exact opposite of what Western philosophy has been attempting to achieve.In general, Western philosophers have taken themselves far too seriously, emphasizing logic and deduction over everything else, and were never really easygoing.It is no surprise, given this inherent contradiction, that "Pooh & the Philosophers" ended up such a disaster.I really don't know what on earth Williams was thinking in using Pooh to illustrate Western philosophy!Instead I recommend Benjamin Hoff's great duo "The Tao of Pooh" and its sequel "The Te of Piglet".This book, "Pooh and The Philosophers" is not worth anything and a waste of time.

3-0 out of 5 stars Good concept -- but the joke gets old
This book was the primary text in a university workshop I just took on "Philosophy in Children's Literature." Being a big fan of Benjamin Hoff's "The Tao of Pooh," I approached the book with great hopes. Williams' tongue-in-cheek conceit is that the Bear of Little Brain is, in fact, the greatest philosopher that ever lived. All of western philosophy before Pooh was mere preamble and the twentieth-century existentialists were familiar with an heavily influenced by the "Great Bear."
I felt that Williams was more interested in being clever than in whatever other goal he had in mind. He presents the philosophical concepts too briefly and dismissively to be of much value. Worse, it seems he spends more space extolling the brilliant Pooh that really discussing how the (sometimes stretched past the breaking point) passages from A. A. Milne's stories relate to philosophies. Like any one-joke movie or TV series, it just got repetitive and annoying after awhile.

5-0 out of 5 stars Clever and fun
This book is funny. The author has a great sense of humour in making his arguement. I found it enjoyable even though there are philosophers that he obviously enjoyed writing about more. As a bonus, it serves as a great indroductory "philosophy for dummies" sort of book for a beginner to the subject like me. ... Read more


33. Postmodern Pooh
by Frederick Crews
Hardcover: 160 Pages (2001-10-10)
list price: US$22.00 -- used & new: US$12.99
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0865476268
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan
Editorial Review

Book Description

A sequel of sorts to the classic (and bestselling) sendup of literary criticism, The Pooh Perplex

Thirty-seven years ago, a slim parody of academic literary criticism called The Pooh Perplex became a surprise bestseller. Now Frederick Crews has written a hilarious new satirein the same vein. Purporting to be the proceedings of a forum on Pooh convened at the Modern Language Association's annual convention, Postmodern Pooh brilliantly parodies the academic fads and figures that hold sway at the millennium.

Deconstruction, poststructuralist Marxism, new historicism, radical feminism, cultural studies, recovered-memory theory, and postcolonialism, among other methods, take their shots at the poor teddy bear and Crews takes his shots at them. The fun lies in seeing just how much adulteration Pooh can stand.
Download Description
A sequel of sorts to the classic (and bestselling) sendup of literary criticism, The Pooh Perplex ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

4-0 out of 5 stars From 'gynocritical discourse' to 'QueerCultStudLitCrit' : a hilarious spoof.
Full disclosure: As far as Winnie the Pooh is concerned, I'm in Dorothy Parker's camp. I think it's nauseatingly cutesy dreck that condescends to children. But that's neither here nor there, because the target in "Postmodern Pooh" is not Pooh. In this sequel to his earlier book, "The Pooh Perplex", Crews instead takes aim at various current fads in academic literary criticism, using Pooh as a vehicle. This is a bit like shooting fish in a barrel, but the results are hilarious.

The book purports to be the proceedings of a forum on Winnie-the-Pooh at the Modern Language Association's annual convention. Crews takes devastating aim at the whole bunch, including, but not limited to:

Deconstructionism
Poststructuralist Marxism
Radical Feminism (gynocritical theory)
New Historicism
Postcolonialism
Sociobiological Analysis
QueerCultStudLitCrit
the Woolf wrote Milne school

Crews gets the different factions dead to rights:

"As for 'the reader', spare me! The term elides difference, attempts to inscribe on a bubbling bouillabaisse of potentialities one model of a stolid, passive, tabula rasa receptor."

"As you've seen, the Colonized Unconscious has already had its way with both Pooh and Milne, turning their backbones to Yorkshire pudding."

"And it's suggestive, to say the least, that the record of satanic cult activity in Milne's England of the twenties appears to have been very carefully and completely effaced."

The book will probably be funniest (or most tragic) to academics who actually have to navigate the sordid back alleys of lit crit to ensure their professional survival. But there is plenty to amuse the general reader as well.

5-0 out of 5 stars Just as brilliant as its predecessor, but less amusing
38 years is a long time to pass between publication of a successful book and that of its sequel, and lovers of The Pooh Perplex must have feared that it would be last they would read of Frederick Crews's parodies of different styles of literary criticism as applied to the works of A. A. Milne. Nonetheless, the book written in the early years of his career at Berkeley has been followed with another written when he was on the verge of retirement.

Postmodernism did not exist in the early 1960s, nor did radical feminism; even ordinary sane feminism was not much heard of. On the other hand Freudian psychoanalysis was much more prominent then than it is now. The targets of Crews's parodies have accordingly changed over the years, but the accuracy of his shots has not, and the new series of articles is as brilliant as the first. They are less amusing to read, however, probably because some of the modern fads threaten a wider public. The victims of psychoanalysis were for the most part willing victims, but the victims of therapists who claim to recover lost memories of childhood abuse can include almost anyone.

Crews is careful to document the fashionable nonsense that he attributes to his lightly fictionalized authors. For readers who doubt, for example, whether Jacques Derrida and his followers could seriously have proposed that apartheid in South Africa was a consequence of phonetic writing which, "by isolating and hypostasizing being, ... corrupts it into a quasi-ontological segregation", he supplies a reference to the original article. Likewise for many other examples.

4-0 out of 5 stars Not for everyone.
If, on the other hand, you are a member of the target audience (those who've been subjected to Academic Literary Criticism and who find the pretentious idiocy rampant in such to be anywhere between annoying and amusing) then this is definitely a five-star book for you. For anyone who picks it up because they enjoy "Winnie The Pooh", and figure anything that relates to that favorite should be a good read, but who HASN'T plenty of experience dealing with literary criticism, it will be fairly hard going, and much of the humor will be lost as they won't recognize the schools of academic thought being pilloried.

4-0 out of 5 stars Theory in search of a subject
You need to have some familiarity with the exciting, contemporary, cutting-edge American literary intellectual scene to get the very best out of this. Being a simple foreigner like Pooh, and a scientist to boot, I don't. That hasn't bothered me much in the past, but now I'm not Saussure.

The question is how much theoretical overkill the poor old bear can take. The answer is, while theory is its own justification and the printer ink holds out, the sky's the limit. A galaxy of thinkers is here to enlighten us courtesy of Prof. Crews: the Derridean, replete with deeply stunning insights and theoretical rigor verging on mortis; the neo-Marxist, living embodiment of Dr. Johnson's wise remark on hope and experience; the barking second-generation feminist; the Lacanian-Deleuzoguattarian (they won't lie down, you know); last but very far from least, the Vicar of Bray type, author of 'The Last Theory Book You'll Ever Need' and several sequels in the same vein.

The footnotes - genuine quotations from distinguished theorists - should be studied with the attention they deserve. These are the guardians of the culture. Go on, give yourself a fright.

For me the best-realized figure is the Roger Kimball clone, Dudley Cravat III, who by some extraordinary oversight has been invited to contribute to this panel. I suspect the author has most sympathy with, or anyway least antipathy to, this character, but that doesn't save him from a ribbing. "Much has changed, and all of it for the worse, since we ourself, nearing completion of our Harvard dissertation, attended the MLA convention of 1976 and discovered that once-abundant assistant professorships for tradition-minded young scholars had vanished overnight."

Many of these theories can be applied with equally gratifying success to subjects as diverse as anthropology, historiography, even literary criticism (not to mention fundamental physics, but that's another story). The names may change, the fads certainly, but forty years on this crew will still be transgressing importantly, if they haven't disappeared up their own discourse: Felicia Marronnez peering myopically at the world through the lenses of a new theory of everything (or nothing, depending on how you look at it); Carla Gulag fixated on some new Jameson and panting for the revolution; N. Mack Hobbs, America's highest-paid (and therefore indisputably best) humanities professor; and Dudley Cravat III harking back to a lost golden age when French theory with an American accent ruled the world.

An acquired taste, perhaps, but an interesting and very clever concoction.

3-0 out of 5 stars A Well Penned Satire
I enjoyed this one, though the first one, The Pooh Perplex, is much more light-hearted and fun to read.Beware, some people might not understand that this is a farce and that you're supposed to be laughing at all the wacky ways we humans have devised to dissect, examine, and critique the universe in our isolated academic ivory towers. But as long as you don't mind people looking at you strangely as you laugh out loud on the bus, you'll be just fine. ... Read more


34. The Te of Piglet
by Benjamin Hoff
Hardcover: 272 Pages (1992-09-01)
list price: US$19.95 -- used & new: US$0.75
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0525934960
Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars
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Editorial Review

Book Description
In The Te of Piglet, a good deal of Taoist wisdom is revealed through the character and actions of A. A. Milne's Piglet. Piglet herein demonstrates a very important principle of Taoism: The Te-a Chinese word meaning Virtue-of the Small. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (64)

2-0 out of 5 stars Hoff Sounds Like the Biggest Eeyore of Them All...
The Te of Piglet started off innocent enough, why with cute characters and even cuter writing how could this turn out bad? Don't get comfortable just yet! Before I knew it, I was being bombarded by Hoff's complaints about the Western world and its wretched politics. Oh how the West has lost its way--or rather, never knew the way to begin with! This is NOT a spiritually informative book, it is a compilation of Hoff's frustrations with the Western world, in particular, America. He makes it a point to vilify Eeyore who, to my knowledge, was always a lovable, albeit, depressive character. Furthermore, on the one hand, Hoff criticizes China's authoritarian government and on the other, he praises them, saying "these people know something" when referring to the country's tree planting policy. Perhaps it isn't that the Chinese are so wise and forward thinking that they know to instill tree-planting into children's hearts but rather that China has some of the worst desertification problems on this planet and that the Gobi Desert grows by the size of three Englands a year! Don't buy Hoff's political rants either because a few of his opinions are uninformed. Lovers of the Tao of Pooh, be forewarned, this does not deserve to be called its companion book. After I completed the Te of Piglet, I found it hard to take anything from Hoff seriously again. Aside from lacking the spirit of Taoism, the book is just plain disorganized. I am still wondering, "what was the point of all that?"

4-0 out of 5 stars Piglet on meds..
I didn't find this book as lovable as Tao of Pooh. Piglet while seemingly an ideal model to learn the Te from there is alot more ranting and raving then the simple lessons from Pooh. Maybe Piglet needs a change in his prescriptions.

5-0 out of 5 stars take the time to read this one too!
Another great book by Benjamin Hoff and a perfect accompaniment to the Tao of Pooh, his first book of these 2.Like the other, I continually buy this book just to find myself gifting it away and then buying another copy for myself so that I can continue to re-read it.Always an inspiration.

5-0 out of 5 stars Love It!
Just finished reading "The Tao of Pooh" and am halfway through this one.As a lover of the Winnie the Pooh books (and children's stories in general) and a more simple, happy way of life, I am thoroughly enjoying this book and highly recommend it to anyone who wants a little help in trying to live life differently, more simply, more easily and, by default, more happily!

5-0 out of 5 stars Great Read
I read the Toah of Pooh years ago so I powered thru this, I am always interested in the outlooks of other spritualities. 5 stars!!!! ... Read more


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