1885 Rare Book - A Tangled Tale by Lewis Carroll, illustrated by Arthur B. Frost
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Author: Lewis Carroll. Illustrated by Arthur B. Frost.
Title: A Tangled Tale.
Publisher: London, Macmillan and Co., 1885. Third thousand of the First Edition.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 7.5 " X 5 ".
Pages: 152 pages + publisher's ad.
Binding: Attractive and very good original publisher’s red cloth binding, decorated in gilt with double-line borders and circular vignettes to upper and lower boards (hinges fine, overall slightly worn and scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover. All edges gilt.
Content: Very good content (bright, tight and clean, rare light foxing or staining - as shown, previous owner's art nouveau bookplate to the first blank page - as shown).
Illustrations: Complete with six full-page illustrations by Arthur B. Frost, including a frontispiece.
Estimate: (USD 250–300).
The book: A beautiful early edition (third thousand of first edition) of A Tangled Tale, one of Lewis Carroll's lesser-known but intellectually rich works. Blending whimsical narrative with a series of mathematical problems (“knots”), the book was originally serialized in The Monthly Packet from 1880–1885. Each story in the collection challenges the reader with logic puzzles and riddles, making it both an entertaining and intellectually stimulating work. This copy, published the same year as the first edition, is bound in striking red cloth with gilt designs of a dragon and a knight, evoking the mythical humor within.
The author: Lewis Carroll (1832–1898), the pen name of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, was an English author, mathematician, and Anglican deacon. Best known for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, Carroll’s love for logic and wordplay shines through in A Tangled Tale, where his passion for mathematics and storytelling meet. His inventive style continues to charm scholars, readers, and collectors alike.
The illustrator: Arthur Burdett Frost (1851–1928) was an American illustrator and comic artist celebrated for his dynamic line work and lively scenes. His illustrations for A Tangled Tale provide a humorous and energetic complement to Carroll's witty logic, capturing both the whimsy and the absurdity of the tales with a uniquely expressive flair.