The original version of Alice in Wonderland, handwritten and hand-drawn by Lewis Carroll, has been posted online.
By scenevelvet
This is totally awesome. +1 to jabby81—would be great if you had a PDF copy or a quicker mirror.
Reader discussion: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Public reader discussion about Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in the WeRead Catalog by Lewis Carroll.
Found an edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Others may be more tuned into the vast editions of it.
By Lone_Summer1979
I really like digging up older books, and I know Alice in Wonderland has a bunch of different editions. I tried searching for this specific one, but I couldn’t find anything that matches my copy. It feels like it might be from the 1930s, though—only mine has different colors than other ones I’ve seen that look similar.
Humble Opinion: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is objectively the best work of literature by a great many degrees
By ScarfPlain2002
I don’t think Through the Looking Glass is really as good as the original, so I’ll leave that part aside for now. Also, I’m totally open to people arguing against this or naming what they think is the best book, or why this one doesn’t count. I’m here to talk about it, not try to convince anyone of anything. Everyone’s been reading for a long time and a quick post isn’t going to change that, and I’m not trying to act like it’s my job to. But I feel like almost every other book has some extra job it’s trying to do. Dickens is doing social/political stuff, Tolstoy is laying out history, Dostoyevsky is wrestling with law and justice, Eli Wiesel is dealing with old wrongs, Virgil is building origins and myth, Homer is basically a cultural/geographic reference point, and Twain just hits you with a kind of gut punch. None of that is really about language itself. Prose is the actual thing, not just some vehicle for talking about something else. Alice is the one book I can think of that is mostly about language and not message or theme. It uses normal sentence patterns and then twists the meaning to make paradoxes. It all comes from our world of ideas, but nothing is really standing in for our actual reality. It’s not just simple escape like Tolkien or Lewis, who are imagining a better world, and it’s not the bleak warning stuff of Huxley imagining a worse one. It feels more like a pretty straightforward look at how narrative works, while using the built-in logic of the nouns we already know. Even the “children’s classics” are usually really adult stories in disguise, just with a kid-friendly look. Shrek, The Wind in the Willows, Peter Pan, and stuff like that still have an adult way of thinking, so they end up getting read the same way, as stories with some bigger point. Old stories like Beowulf or Snow White are more like spoken warnings, practical tales where the characters and plot are just the tool. Alice doesn’t really use the story like that. It’s language in its most basic form. I think writers should value prose not just for what it can do, but for what it is. Alice feels like the baseline for judging books, because it doesn’t treat the medium like something to get past, but something worth having on its own. Other classics may get there too, but it feels kind of accidental and temporary. Alice puts that right out in the open, and that’s why, to me, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is basically what great literature is at its core, under all the psychology and philosophy people layer on top.
Alice Anthology: Lewis Carrol’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland as a visual anthology
By WarmRound15
We’re sharing our anthology project that’s based on Lewis Carroll’s original stuff—link is here: https://aliceanthology.com Chapter 1: Artist is Fafo Ferrão. It looks like all the chapters will be posted across our social channels for free on a regular schedule, and then you can also grab each chapter for $1.99 for instant access to the whole thing plus extra art stuff like layered covers and attachments. Not sure why it says (webtoon format) or traditional comic format with a guided view, but I guess you can choose whichever style you want.
Lewis Carroll, author of Alice in Wonderland, was a Mathematician. He designed entertaining puzzles to train people in systematic reasoning. Here are a few of them.
By sunQuill
Also, he seemed to have helped with figuring out determinants too. Honestly, he just came off as a really cool guy.
Was Lewis Carroll a Pedophile? (Author of Alice in Wonderland)
By footnote_book
I can’t even really get into the whole “150 years of Alice” celebration thing, because now there’s this new-photo drama from Carroll’s collection that sounds… awful. Apparently there’s a picture that a bunch of people are calling shocking, and it’s supposedly a nude photo of Lorina Liddell. The article makes it sound like the BBC experts were really unsettled by it, and that it even might have something to do with why Carroll supposedly cut off contact with the Liddell girls back in 1863. The part that’s messing with my head is that none of the diaries from his friendship with them seem to be available, so it’s all based on what they can piece together from what they found. Some folks (like Will Self) are pretty direct and say he was a heavily repressed pedophile, but at the same time the family view is basically that he was in love with Alice and just didn’t cross boundaries. I don’t know what to believe, but I do know this whole thing makes the book feel way more complicated than I expected.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass
By PageKettle
I just finished these books last night and I really liked both of them. I’m wondering if anyone has suggestions for stuff that’s similar.
Two new typesets! The War of the Worlds & Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
By epiloguewoodbush
Just added a couple new ready-to-print books to my shop. First up is H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds, and the second is Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. For Alice, I included the original forty-two John Tenniel illustrations, restored and in high resolution. This one was probably my hardest, most complicated project so far, but also the most fun. Next I’m working on Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. I’ve got an appointment with the New York Public Library to look at the original first edition text, and they’re letting me take high-res images of the original 111 engravings. Hopefully that’ll be coming soon. https://www.typesetty.com/shop/p/alices-adventures-in-wonderland Thanks!
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
By orbitecho
It feels odd that I’d never actually read Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland before, especially since I always just assumed the title was Alice in Wonderland like the films. The book has this weirdly familiar feeling, like something from childhood, but I’m pretty sure I’d never read it or even had it read to me. Like a lot of people, the 1951 Disney version is the one I really know. Going into the original for the first time, it’s obvious it’s more of a starting point for other people to build on than a straight adaptation. A bunch of the things I always thought of as “proper” Alice stuff, like Tweedledum and Tweedledee, aren’t even in this book anyway. Apparently Carroll first told the story to three little girls, one of them named Alice, and later expanded the short tale into the version published in 1865, with Tenniel’s illustrations. It’s probably the best-known nonsense book there is. The plot is basically Alice falling into Wonderland and meeting all these strange characters while constantly changing size and getting dragged into one odd situation after another, almost like a dream you can’t quite hold onto. What stood out most to me wasn’t really the plot but the language and logic jokes. Stuff that starts off sounding like nonsense ends up being weirdly sensible. The tea example and the “I see what I eat” type of thing are the moments that stick. And of course the characters have gone way past the book now. The Mad Hatter, White Rabbit, Queen of Hearts, March Hare — they’re everywhere. I think most people know the “off with their head” line without ever opening the book. I also found it interesting that Carroll may have had a condition that made him see objects as bigger or smaller than they were, which kind of makes the whole thing feel less random than it first seems. Even with the wordplay and the memorable characters, though, it didn’t really do much for me. It took me ages to get through such a short book because I never felt pulled back into it. Maybe that’s because it doesn’t really feel like a proper story so much as a bunch of scenes that don’t always need to connect. It’s charming, but kind of flat too.
TIL Alice Lidell, inspiration for Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland", once met Peter Llewellyn Davies, one of the brothers who inspired J.M. Barrie's "Peter Pan".
By RapidCrown91
I don’t think she inspired him or anything—he was always the one telling stories. It’s more like she just asked him to write them down that day.
Help Identifying date of this Alice in Wonderland book?
By smallSparrow6827
I’ve got a little pocket-sized Lewis Carroll hardcover first edition (at least I’m pretty sure it is) of *Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland*. It was handed down to me by my mom—she always had the coolest books and antiques, so I’m really grateful I got this one. But I can’t find *anything* about it. I mean, I searched online and there’s nothing on Google, which feels super strange to me. No dates are stamped in it anywhere, but I’m guessing it’s old/antique since it was passed from my mom to me, and my mom was born in ’56. If anyone knows anything about this edition, I’d really appreciate it. I can send photos if you message me. Thanks! :)
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland First Edition London 1871
By thyme-tower2004
Hi everyone! Hope you’re all doing okay. I could really use some advice—if you owned this book, would you leave it as-is or get it rebound? I’m not sure how rare this copy is, if at all, but I figured I’d ask people who know more than I do. If it were your book in this condition, would you bother paying to have it rebound, or just keep it how it is (even though it looks pretty rough)? I do have a local book binding place I was thinking about, but I haven’t taken it in yet to see what they can do or what it would cost. I honestly don’t know anything about book binding, but the current restoration/rebinding (if you can call it that) looks like a pretty bad job to me. Here are the photos I took: http://imgur.com/gallery/b1fI6vp
Reading of Alice In Wonderland - Chapter 1 Audiobook (Lewis Carroll 1865)
By Superuser
Hey everyone! I posted a read-through of chapter 1 of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland on my channel. Hope you end up liking it. If there’s interest, I’m thinking about doing chapter 2 too.
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
By SlowSwan
This is totally one of my all-time favorite books, even though it’s a kids’ one. I swear, a lot of my favorites are the middle-school-ish kind. I’ve loved the Disney Alice movie since I was little, like toddler age, and around when I was 10 I’d just run around my backyard acting like I was Alice. Later, when I was about 13, I finally read the real book, and also the Through the Looking-Glass part. After that, I’ve re-read it at least 10 times and I’ve liked it every single time. I just really love how weird and whimsical it is—like nothing is really logical, but it’s still fun, and it feels like it’s all just Alice’s dream. It’s such a cool kind of dream to have when you’re a kid with a huge imagination. Anyone else love this one too?
Trying to figure out if this edition of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is worth anything.
By WildHeron1980
I just grabbed an older copy of *Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland* for a friend from a used bookstore a little while ago, and now I’m curious if it’s worth more than I paid. I can’t seem to find a bunch of pics online that match the cover—especially that same gold design. Mine is a red hardback with no dust jacket, and the pages have gold gilt on all the edges. The corners are a little scuffed up, and the back cover is starting to split a bit where it meets the spine. It says The MacMillan Company, and the only year I’ve been able to spot inside is 1898. It also has “forty-two illustration by John Tenniel” listed. So… is this basically one of those cool-but-common used copies, or is there actually some value here? I paid $5.
[Discussion] Alice In Wonderland, Through The looking Glass, what does everyone think?
By nebula-horse6
I’m probably going to ramble a bit here, but if you don’t feel like reading a lot, just toss in your thoughts on the books (or Dodgson/Carroll) anyway. I just finished Through the Looking-Glass (and I’d read Alice in Wonderland before that), and I honestly don’t think I’ve ever read anything like it. I felt totally pulled into it in a way I don’t usually get. I could keep up with what Alice was doing and saying, but the world around her never really made “sense” the way other books do. I understood bits and pieces, but a lot of the meaning and symbolism still felt pretty hard to pin down. They’re definitely cryptic. And I don’t think that’s an accident. Dodgson seems like one of those people who could be kind of mysterious, but he was also remembered by the girls he knew as the nicest, gentlest guy ever. Later on, with all the controversy about how he felt about little girls, people started arguing nonstop about what the books are “really” saying. I’m not sure—I wasn’t there, and letters/opinions can only tell you so much—but I personally lean toward the idea that he loved them in a caring, affectionate way, not in some malicious way. I don’t have “proof” or anything, but I feel like the whole Alice vibe shows a simple love of children and the kind of innocence they have. These books kind of do something to your head that I don’t think you can really copy. They’re more than just “literature” to me—they feel like real, honest brilliance, like you’re seeing life from a different angle.
Good books for a 5 year old that really enjoyed “alice’s adventures in wonderland” and “the wizard of oz”
By ProudLucky
I’m trying to find a few more books my daughter might like. She really enjoyed the two books named in the title, and the intensity felt about right for her. I’m looking for something with a similar level of excitement, but that isn’t too intense. I’ll probably read it first on my own, so if you recommend something and you’re not totally sure it’ll be a fit, that’s totally fine.
Themes in the book of "Alice in Wonderland"
By PlainShadowSeal3
I’m not a native speaker, and when I first read this book as a kid in my first language, I honestly couldn’t get anything. Now it’s been about 10 years, and I’m reading it again. I’m trying to wrap my head around what it’s really about and its themes, but I only feel like I’ve caught one or two things—there’s still something missing for me. I’d really like more thoughts and opinions, so maybe we can discuss the themes. For me, the first big theme is growing up. Alice is a child, and she basically steps into this dream world where everything about the adult world feels confusing. She doesn’t really know who she is either, and that kind of identity confusion feels very “normal” for kids growing up. She keeps asking about her identity throughout the story (like with the Caterpillar). And she grows and shrinks sometimes, which makes her really frustrated. This part feels pretty obvious, honestly. Another theme I can think of is nonsense and madness. A lot of what the characters do and say is just… weird and doesn’t really make sense, and they even describe themselves as “mad.” I keep thinking about the conversation with the Cheshire Cat. But I can’t fully tell why the author makes Wonderland feel that way. My guess is he’s trying to show how complicated and messed up the adult/real world can be. Like, adults often follow nonsense without even knowing why, while in the real world people have rules and class differences, and they just obey and don’t question anything. I feel like there’s some kind of satire in there, but I’m not 100% sure. Anyway, I’m really curious to hear what you all think.
TIL that Lewis Carroll's (author of Alice in Wonderland's) real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, and he was a Professor of Mathematics at Oxford.
By figOwl559687
Sounds like it’s written from the perspective of a traditional math person who wasn’t into all the imaginary numbers and other newer stuff. I’ve also heard people say it’s basically an attack on the newer way of doing math. Not sure how true that is, but that’s the vibe I’m getting.
What, in you guys opinions, is the meaning of Alice in Wonderland
By writesharbor
Just finished *Alice in Wonderland* and I can’t stop thinking about how everything feels linked together, but each part is weirdly different. I’d love to hear what other people think the book is actually about. My own take is that it’s kind of a quiet dig at adult life back then. Like, Alice has to deal with strict guards and there’s all that bias with the Mouse that hates cats. Then there’s the whole courtroom thing that’s so obviously unfair, plus how everyone keeps following these rigid roles—White Rabbit, Mad Hatter, all that. And then there’s the idea that you’re basically expected to change yourself just to fit in (and for Alice it’s not even subtle). The whole “nonsense” part feels like it’s there to point out how dumb those rules and cultural expectations are, and also that a lot of people are still acting childish once you strip away the fancy language. Also, I tried to clean up my grammar and spelling and somehow I spelled a word wrong—apparently “beholden” doesn’t need a (t) so I guess I’ll have to look elsewhere to borrow a kettle.