Books

London: Macmillan and Company, 1872. Early Edition. Cloth. Very good. Early edition of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, with Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll, uniformly bound in red morocco.. Twelvemo, [two volumes], [xii], 192pp; xii, 224pp, [2]. Finely bound in three-quarter red morocco, marbled paper boards. Five raised bands, title in gilt with gilt devices on spines. All edges gilt, new endpapers. Both with half-titles. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is an early edition, with "Fourteenth Thousand" stated on title page. Solid text block, faint and occasional foxing to leaves, complete with forty-two illustrations by John Tenniel, including frontispiece. Through the Looking-Glass is a first edition, first impression, with "wade" in the place of "wabe" on page 21. Solid text block, touch of foxing to front and rear leaves. Preface incorrectly bound after page two. Previous ownership inscription on half-title. With fifty illustrations by John Tenniel, including…

"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" follows the escapades of a curious young girl named Alice, who, while bored on a riverbank, spots a white rabbit in a waistcoat. She follows it down a rabbit hole and finds herself in a whimsical world. Throughout her journey, Alice encounters peculiar characters like the hookah-smoking Caterpillar, the grinning Cheshire Cat, and the Mad Hatter hosting a nonsensical tea party. She experiences a series of transformations, shrinking and growing, as she navigates through the bizarre landscapes and meets creatures like the March Hare and the Dormouse. The Queen of Hearts, with her penchant for ordering beheadings, adds a touch of absurdity to the already surreal environment. Alice grapples with the nonsensical rules of Wonderland, engaging in peculiar conversations that highlight the absurd logic of this fantastical realm. As she tries to find her way home, she faces challenges, solves riddles, and discovers that the reality of Wonderland often defies logic. Ultimately, Alice's adventures culminate in her realizing that the world she encountered was a dream. She wakes up on the riverbank, pondering the strange and wonderful events she experienced in Wonderland, leaving readers with a blend of imagination, whimsy, and thought-provoking absurdity. Carroll's tale remains a classic exploration of childhood, curiosity, and the unpredictable nature of dreams.