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Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Happy Birthday to Alice in Wonderland Creator, Lewis Carrol!

Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll, was born on January 27th in 1832. Without this famous English author, we wouldn't have great poems, literature, photography, or classics like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. We raise our glass to you Sir Carrol, happy (almost) birthday!


The adventures of Alice (named for one of the little girls to whom the book was dedicated) who journeys down a rabbit hole and into a whimsical underworld realm, instantly struck a chord with the British public, and then with readers around the world. Dodgson's playfulness, with language, with mathematical puzzles, with testy creatures such as the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter and the Queen of Hearts, still confounds and teases lovers of fantasy fiction today. 






In 1872, in reaction to the universal acclaim Alice's Adventures in Wonderland received, Dodgson published this sequel. Nothing is quite what it seems once Alice journeys through the looking-glass, and Dodgson's wit is infectious as he explores concepts of mirror imagery, time running backward, and strategies of chess-all wrapped up in the exploits of a spirited young girl who parries with the Red Queen, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, and other unlikely characters. In many ways, this sequel has had an even greater impact on today's pop culture than the first book. 




Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass 

Here, in one volume, you'll find both Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and the 1872 sequel, Through the Looking-Glass. Together, this is a masterwork of playful prose in which the author has invented some of the most memorable characters in literature: the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter and the Red Queen. The conundrums and delights of these works ensure their ongoing influence over modern pop culture. This unabridged replica edition features the original illustrations by English artist Sir John Tenniel and is a treasured addition to any library.






Alice's Adventures Under Ground was the little-known first draft of what became the famed Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. When Charles Dodgson, better-known as Lewis Carroll, first composed the story of Alice, it was on a boating trip with the Liddell sisters. It was for Alice Liddell that he told tales of Alice's adventures, and Dodgson eventually promised to write the stories down for her. This edition of Alice's Adventures under Ground is the second recorded version of Alice's tales (the first was destroyed), given as a gift to Miss Liddell for Christmas. Afterward, friends encouraged Dodgson to publish Alice's Adventures, which he did after some revisions with Macmillan & Company in London, as the version we know and love today. This facsimile of the handwritten 1864 manuscript includes additional material from the 1886 version and 37 original illustrations. The original manuscript can be viewed in the British Museum in London.


Thank you for your great works of literature Lewis Carrol!










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