1904 Rare Edition in Blue - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

A beautifully preserved 1904 Macmillan Blue edition of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, featuring John Tenniel’s celebrated original illustrations and an attractive blue cloth binding decorated in gilt.

Author: Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson).
Title: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
Publisher: New York: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., 1904.
Edition: Early twentieth-century American reprint, August 1904 impression.
Language: English.
Pages: 192 pages, followed by a publisher’s catalogue.
Size: 7.5 x 5 inches.
Binding: Very good original blue cloth binding, with gilt lettering to the spine, gilt double-rule border to the front board, and a charming gilt vignette of Alice opening the little door. All edges gilt. The binding remains attractive and well preserved, with slight scuffing along the outer edges and minor wear to the extremities, as shown. Protected in a removable mylar cover. 
Content: Very good, with clean, well-preserved pages, gentle age toning, and occasional minor marks consistent with age. The text and illustrations remain crisp and clear.
Illustrations: Illustrated throughout with the original forty-two black-and-white illustrations by Sir John Tenniel, including the celebrated frontispiece depicting the King and Queen of Hearts.

Estimate: USD $275–300.

The book: First published in 1865, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is one of the most enduring and imaginative works of children’s literature. Lewis Carroll’s extraordinary tale follows young Alice down a rabbit hole into a world of curious creatures, impossible conversations, shifting proportions, and wonderfully absurd adventures. From the White Rabbit and the Cheshire Cat to the Mad Hatter and the Queen of Hearts, Carroll created a cast of characters that has captivated generations of readers and inspired countless interpretations.

This attractive 1904 Macmillan edition preserves the original illustrations by Sir John Tenniel, whose distinctive drawings have become inseparable from the story itself. Particularly appealing is the publisher’s blue cloth binding, with its elegant gilt borders and central vignette of Alice at the little door. The volume also retains Carroll’s preface to the eighty-sixth thousand, dated Christmas 1896, in which he discusses the famous Hatter’s riddle and the preparation of a new setting of the text. With its gilt page edges and handsome presentation, this is a delightful early twentieth-century edition of a beloved Victorian classic.

The author: Lewis Carroll (1832–1898), the pen name of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, was an English author, mathematician, photographer, and lecturer at Christ Church, Oxford. His friendship with the Liddell family, particularly young Alice Liddell, inspired the story that became Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Originally told during a boating excursion in 1862, the tale was expanded into a book that would establish Carroll as one of the most original voices in English literature.

Carroll’s imaginative use of language, logical paradoxes, and playful nonsense transformed the possibilities of children’s fiction. His sequel, Through the Looking-Glass (1871), further developed the remarkable world of Alice and introduced additional characters and literary inventions that remain familiar today.

The illustrator: Sir John Tenniel (1820–1914) was a distinguished British illustrator and political cartoonist, best known for his long association with Punch magazine and his iconic illustrations for Lewis Carroll’s two Alice books. His meticulous draughtsmanship, expressive characters, and imaginative compositions gave visual form to Carroll’s extraordinary world, establishing an artistic interpretation that has endured for more than a century.

Tenniel’s forty-two illustrations for Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland remain among the most recognizable images in the history of children’s literature. His depictions of Alice, the White Rabbit, the Caterpillar, and the Queen of Hearts continue to define the appearance of these beloved characters for readers and collectors alike.