Lewis Carroll’s Original Alice in Wonderland Manuscript

The British Library has a gorgeous online display of Lewis Carroll (real name Charles Dodgson)’s Original Alice in Wonderland Manuscript.

I didn’t previously know the origins of the story:

Dodgson was fond of children and became friends with Lorina, Alice and Edith Liddell, the young daughters of the Dean of his college, Christ Church. One summer’s day in 1862 he entertained them on a boat trip with a story of Alice’s adventures in a magical world entered through a rabbit-hole. The ten-year-old Alice was so entranced that she begged him to write it down for her. It took him some time to write out the tale – in a tiny, neat hand – and complete the 37 illustrations. Alice finally received the 90-page book, dedicated to ‘a dear child, in memory of a summer day’, in November 1864.

And the illustrations are just fantastic.

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It’s a pretty important part of literary history. With countless adaptations and versions and languages of the story, it must be among the widely known tales out there. I’m happy to know the original still exists alice-wonderland-lewis-carrollout there, for people to visit, marvel over and enjoy. And what an amazing gift for that little girl named Alice, so long ago. Homemade gifts are often the best, and that has to be the ultimate example.

It’s not for sale on AbeBooks, but we DO have numerous rare, scarce, and colelctible editions of Alice in Wonderland available. Have a look and see how beautiful some of them are. And, you know, buy one, if you’re wealthy!

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