Product Description

One golden summer afternoon in 1862, the young Oxford mathematics don Charles Dodgson shared a picnic with three little girls in a boat on the River Thames. One of the sisters, Alice Liddell, asked for a story "with plenty of nonsense in it". The adventure he created for her under the pen name Lewis Carroll and the unforgettable characters he invented - the White Rabbit, the March Hare, the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat, amongst others - have enchanted generations of readers thoughout the world. The world of Lewis Carroll, whose powerful imagination gave us the timeless magic of "Alice in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass", is here vividly brought to life.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #440207 in Books
• Published on: 1997-06-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 176 pages

Customer Reviews

A colourful and comprehensive collection
This book is ideal for readers who know and love the 'Alice' books and want to learn more about the man behind the Lewis Carroll pseudonym--the Reverend Charles Dodgson. This is an example of a very modern looking book, colourful and visually exciting, with a concise and informative text. The reproduction of Dodgson's photographs, and the artworks and graphics that his stories have inspired, are superb. It is not a children's book as such although I'm sure that older children would find it enjoyable. I was fortunate enough to buy my copy in Oxford and to sit reading it in the grounds of the college where Dodgson lived for most of his life. Wherever you buy this book, however, it will immediately transport you back to Charles Dodgson's Oxford and Lewis Carroll's Wonderland.

A beautiful introduction to the world of Lewis Carroll
I have to admit that when this book arrived and I opened it, my first reaction was one of disappointment. There were just so many pictures on every page that I thought I'd bought a children's book by mistake.

As it turns out, I hadn't.

As I started to read this book, I found that the pictures are always relevant, nicely complimenting a thoughtful and informative text. This is NOT just a book for children, but for all fans of Lewis Carroll.

(Perhaps I should mention in passing that some people may think it unsuitable for children, as it briefly discusses Carroll's interest in photography and includes some of his pictures - including a few which were innocent enough to the Victorian sentiment, but may seem much less so to our current, more suspicious sensibilities.)

But in my own opinion, this mini-biography of Lewis Carroll is a delightful little book, and would be a perfect first step for anyone (of any age) who has read and enjoyed the Alice books, The Hunting of the Snark, or any of Carroll's other works.

It also has a list of suggested further reading for anyone who wishes to delve a bit deeper.