L. Frank Baum, author of the Wizard of Oz books once complained that his books were better than Lewis Carroll’s Alice books because the stories in the fantasy world of Oz actually meant something while the Alice books were just nonsense. It appears the joke was on him, as the books such as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and Through the Looking Glass literally were literary nonsense. The style Lewis Carroll used was all about playing with language and logic with a careful balance of sense and nonsensical elements. This type of literature therefore knows no limits but the imagination, which we all know has no boundaries. This gives us wonderful characters which, with the help of illustrators, come to life on the page.
Alice was first published in 1865 after inspiration from Alice Pleasance Liddell and others to write some of the stories Lewis Carroll (Charles Dodgson) had told them. In 1871 Through the Looking Glass And What Alice found there was published which also included illustrations by John Tenniel. The original early Alice’s Adventures Under Ground manuscript is published in 1886- with drawings by Lewis Carroll. The Nursery Alice is published in 1890 meant to be a shortened version for “children from nought to five,” and included colored Tenniel plates. In 1998 one of the surviving first editions was sold at auction for $1.5 million making it the most expensive children’s books ever traded. This would be topped when J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books sold for $3.9 million nine years later.
In 2000 American McGee’s Alice is developed by Rogue Entertainment and features our character in a story based on a merging of the Alice books. The excellent artwork is supplemented by the music by Chris Vrenna, the drummer for rock band Nine Inch Nails, to give the game play an eerie atmosphere. Many movies have been made from 1903 to 2004, most notably the Disney version.
Few classics have had the illustrative scope as the Alice books through history. Since it was written in 1865 hundreds, if not thousands, of publications have been made with the illustrative talents of hundreds of artists gracing the pages. We all know the famous Sir John Tenniel version, the first to illustrate Alice, and then the legendary Arthur Rackham gave us his version in 1907 (see above). Did you know even Salvador Dali did some Alice illustrations? Many wonderful illustrations of Wonderland can be found and they all have their distinct styles and qualities.
See also Illustration, and Spotlight on Arthur Rackham.
Read Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Gordon Robinson illustrator), and Through The Looking Glass on Project Gutenberg.
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