The Tao of Pooh is a 1982 book written by Benjamin Hoff. The book is intended as an introduction to the Eastern belief system of Taoism for Westerners. It allegorically employs the fictional characters of A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh stories to explain the basic principles of philosophical Taoism. The book was on the New York Times bestseller list for 49 weeks. Hoff later wrote The Te of Piglet, a companion book.
The Tao of Pooh
A traditional representation of "The Vinegar Tasters".
Winnie-the-Pooh is a fictional anthropomorphic teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard. Winnie-the-Pooh first appeared by name in a children's story commissioned by London's Evening News for Christmas Eve 1925. The character is inspired by a stuffed toy that Milne had bought for his son Christopher Robin in Harrods department store, and a bear they had viewed at London Zoo.
Pooh in an illustration by E. H. Shepard
Christopher Robin's original Winnie-the-Pooh stuffed toys, on display at the Main Branch of the New York Public Library. Clockwise from bottom left: Tigger, Kanga, Edward Bear ("Winnie-the-Pooh"), Eeyore, and Piglet. Roo was also one of the original toys, but was lost during the 1930s.
Harry Colebourn and Winnie, 1914
Sculpture at London Zoo where A. A. Milne took his son Christopher Robin to see the amiable bear that inspired Milne to write the story.
