first edition
1866 · London
by Carroll, Lewis
London: Macmillan & Co, 1866. Second (first published) edition. Very Good +. The book that forever changed the face of children’s literature. A handsome copy, rebound in full crushed red morocco by Morell. Marbled end papers, all edges gilt. Inverted "S" on the last line of the contents page. Slight cracking at the inner margin of the first few leaves, but holding. Several leaves with closed tears and a few small paper repairs to the margins (filling in loss), the largest on p. 187 fills in a triangular-shaped loss of approx. 1" x 3" (no text affected). Spine gently faded, but binding in excellent condition. A handsome copy overall, despite the flaws.
"On the surface, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is a paradise of puns, paradoxes, and anthropomorphism. Underneath, it is a deeply honest portrayal of childhood and adulthood. What unites Carroll's wordplay and analytical anomalies with truth is Alice. She... fumbles through strange, increasingly grown up encounters, and remains honest and curious all the while. She is courageous in the act of growing up...Carroll's classic is an absurd yet magnificently perceptive form of entertainment unlike anything that came before or even after it" (Allen). Alice's impact was immediate. At a time when most children's books were highly didactic and focused on clear-cut morality, Wonderland offered something new and fantastical; it gave young readers an opportunity to be amused, to sort through logical puzzles, and to imagine a world unlike any other in literature. Thanks in part to Carroll, "children's books entered a new, more fantastical phase: instruction with delight" (Allen). Very Good +. (Inventory #: 6841)
"On the surface, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is a paradise of puns, paradoxes, and anthropomorphism. Underneath, it is a deeply honest portrayal of childhood and adulthood. What unites Carroll's wordplay and analytical anomalies with truth is Alice. She... fumbles through strange, increasingly grown up encounters, and remains honest and curious all the while. She is courageous in the act of growing up...Carroll's classic is an absurd yet magnificently perceptive form of entertainment unlike anything that came before or even after it" (Allen). Alice's impact was immediate. At a time when most children's books were highly didactic and focused on clear-cut morality, Wonderland offered something new and fantastical; it gave young readers an opportunity to be amused, to sort through logical puzzles, and to imagine a world unlike any other in literature. Thanks in part to Carroll, "children's books entered a new, more fantastical phase: instruction with delight" (Allen). Very Good +. (Inventory #: 6841)
(626) 714-7720
