Edward Bear ESQ.

Of all the playthings to become loony collectibles, the teddy bear may have suffered the transition most gracefully. What other turn-of-the-century artifact, after all, commands a rigorous...snuggle? Brown did cofound an entire Teddy Bear Museum in Warwickshire, England. And she staunchly defends her pet passion against professional dealers and corporate sensibilities (Disney coldly co-opting poor Winnie-the-Pooh). But Edward Bear ESQ., her tale of battling American and German toy factories, the golden age between the World Wars, and the many royal adherents of what is, let's remind ourselves, a stuffed animal, is unfawning and prettily told.