In southeast England there exists a 6,000 acre tract of land that is among the most beloved (and protected) on earth - the Ashdown Forest, inspiration for the hundreds of illustrations published in the original Winnie-the-Pooh books. And yet, as certain as readers are of the look of the Hundred Acre Woods, few have known that there is a real place that provided the origin for E.H. Shepherd’s iconographic drawings.
On Thursday, November 19th, landscape designer and author, Kathryn Aalto, will be sharing her photos of Ashdown Forest along with her “map” of Pooh’s world. Aalto will be at The Spotty Dog Books & Ale in Hudson at 7:00pm. A portion of book sales will benefit the Campaign for the New Hudson Area Library.
Aalto is a writer, designer, historian and lecturer who lives in Exeter, England. For the past twenty-five years, her focus has been on places where nature and culture intersect. Here newest book is The Natural World of Winnie-the-Pooh: Exploring the Real Landscapes of the Hundred Acre Wood.