TODAY IN LITERARY HISTORY 1864: Lewis Carroll delivers the handwritten manuscript of ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ to Alice Liddell.
On November 26, 1864, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson—known to the world as Lewis Carroll—gave Alice Liddell the handwritten manuscript of the story he had first improvised during a July 1862 boat ride near Oxford. Published in 1865 with John Tenniel’s celebrated illustrations, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland became one of the most culturally influential works of children’s literature, inspiring generations of writers, artists, and scholars. Few works in English literature have inspired publishers as deeply as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Since 1865, the book has been a showcase for artistic innovation: deluxe Victorian gift editions, Golden Age illustrated versions, Art Nouveau and Art Deco interpretations, and a long tradition of fine-press and private-press printings. Printers have used Alice to display mastery of illustration, type design, paper choice, and binding craft. From Tenniel’s original wood engravings to modern letterpress editions, the story’s imaginative elasticity ...