1886 Rare 1stED - Alice's Adventures Under Ground illustrated by Lewis Carroll

The origin of Alice — Lewis Carroll’s original manuscript, faithfully reproduced in this first edition facsimile.

A rare opportunity to experience the story exactly as it was first conceived and gifted to Alice Liddell — intimate, personal, and foundational to one of the most celebrated works in literature.

Author: Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson). (Illustrated by the author).
Title: Alice’s Adventures Under Ground. Being a Facsimile of the Original MS. Book Afterwards Developed Into “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”.
Publisher: London & New York, Macmillan and Co., 1886. First Edition, First Printing. Limited to 5,000 copies.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 7.5 x 5 inches.
Pages: viii–95 pages + publisher’s catalogue.
Binding: Original red cloth binding with double gilt-ruled borders and elaborate gilt titling to upper cover, with gilt vignette of the Mock Turtle to the lower cover and gilt spine lettering. A striking and well-preserved example, with bright and unfaded cloth and brilliant gilt. All edges gilt. Protected in a removable mylar cover.
Content: Near fine content — bright, tight, and clean, with only occasional light foxing to preliminaries. The facsimile manuscript pages remain crisp and exceptionally well preserved.
Illustrations: Complete with 37 illustrations by Lewis Carroll, reproduced directly from the original handwritten manuscript, including numerous textual vignettes and full-page plates.

Estimate: (USD 1,200 – 1,700)

The book: Published in 1886, this remarkable facsimile presents for the first time to the public the original manuscript that Lewis Carroll created in 1864 for Alice Liddell — the very work that would later evolve into Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

Unlike the later, expanded Wonderland narrative, this version retains a more intimate and direct storytelling voice, offering a rare glimpse into the earliest form of the tale before its transformation into a literary classic.

Literary significance: This work stands as the true origin of the Alice mythos. It preserves Carroll’s own handwriting, page composition, and illustrations, allowing collectors to encounter the story in its most authentic and personal form — closer to its creation than any other printed edition.

Collector’s note: First edition facsimiles of Alice’s Adventures Under Ground are highly sought after, particularly in well-preserved original bindings. The red cloth is notoriously prone to fading and wear, making bright, clean examples such as this increasingly difficult to find.

This copy, with its strong color, crisp gilt, and clean interior, represents a superior example for collectors of Victorian literature and Lewis Carroll’s works.

The author: Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (1832–1898), known as Lewis Carroll, was an English writer, mathematician, and logician. His Alice books remain among the most influential and beloved works of imaginative literature, celebrated for their wit, logic, and enduring originality.

The illustrator: In this work, Carroll illustrates his own text, offering a rare insight into his personal vision of the story. His drawings — expressive, immediate, and deeply connected to the manuscript — differ significantly from the later interpretations by John Tenniel, and form an essential part of the Alice legacy.

✔ First edition facsimile of the original manuscript
✔ Illustrated by Lewis Carroll himself
✔ Foundation of the Alice tradition
✔ Exceptionally well-preserved binding