On a lazy, sunny afternoon in July 1862 a spontaneous storytelling session began in a boat on the River Thames. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, now better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was rowing on the river with the daughters of his good friend, Henry Liddell, three sisters named Lorina, Alice, and Edith. As the gentle strokes of the oars cut through the water, the ever-imaginative Dodgson began weaving a whimsical story to entertain the girls, a story “with lots of nonsense in it”, and, as usual, he invented the story while he was telling it.
Ten-year-old Alice was particularly captivated by the fantastical story of a bored little girl who goes looking for adventure. Dodgson named the story’s protagonist after Alice, who begged him to write it down for her. Although initially reluctant, he eventually conceded to her request and meticulously crafted a handwritten manuscript complete with 37 illustrations.
This 90-page manuscript, initially titled Alice’s Adventures Under Ground, was a personal gift to Alice Liddell and she received it in November 1864. Dodgson’s careful penmanship and delicate drawings made it a treasure, a beautifully bound book filled with the adventures of the girl who followed a white rabbit down a hole and into a world where nothing was as it seemed.
This original handwritten manuscript, a testament to Dodgson’s affection for the real Alice, remains a cherished piece of literary history, embodying the moment when a simple afternoon story became a timeless adventure for generations of readers. Read it in full here.
But the story grew in his imagination, and Dodgson realised its potential for a wider audience. He expanded and revised the tale, eventually seeking out a professional illustrator, John Tenniel, to bring the characters to life in more vivid detail. This polished version was published in 1865 as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. It received positive reviews upon release and is now one of the best-known works of Victorian literature; its narrative, structure, characters and imagery have had a widespread influence on popular culture and literature.
Alice in Wonderland has never been out of print and has been translated into 174 languages. Its legacy includes adaptations to screen, radio, visual art, ballet, opera, and musical theatre, as well as theme parks, board games and video games. Thousands of public domain versions can be found at the Internet Archive, but this reading by Sir John Geilgud from 1989 is lovely to listen to:
Have you read this book? I’d love to hear what you think, so let me know by leaving a comment.
Selected links for relevant websites, books, movies, videos, and more. Some of these links lead to protected content on this website, learn more about that here.
Susannah Fullerton: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is published
Susannah Fullerton: Charles Lutwidge Dodgson is born
Susannah Fullerton: Lewis Carroll first appeared
Susannah Fullerton: Lewis Carroll tells the Alice story for the first time
Susannah Fullerton: Sir John Tenniel is born
Susannah Fullerton: Lewis Carroll’s Ridiculous Poems
British Library: Alice’s Adventures Under Ground, the original manuscript version of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Lewis Carroll Society of North America
Alice in Wonderland fan page
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll read by Sir John Geilgud