Alice in Wonderland (Hardcover)

by Lewis Carroll (Author), Lisbeth Zwerger (Illustrator) "ALICE was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having to do: once or twice she had..." (more)
Key Phrases: Mock Turtle, March Hare, Mary Ann (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Source of legend and lyric, reference and conjecture, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is for most children pure pleasure in prose. While adults try to decipher Lewis Carroll's putative use of complex mathematical codes in the text, or debate his alleged use of opium, young readers simply dive with Alice through the rabbit hole, pursuing "The dream-child moving through a land / Of wonders wild and new." There they encounter the White Rabbit, the Queen of Hearts, the Mock Turtle, and the Mad Hatter, among a multitude of other characters--extinct, fantastical, and commonplace creatures. Alice journeys through this Wonderland, trying to fathom the meaning of her strange experiences. But they turn out to be "curiouser and curiouser," seemingly without moral or sense.

For more than 130 years, children have reveled in the delightfully non-moralistic, non-educational virtues of this classic. In fact, at every turn, Alice's new companions scoff at her traditional education. The Mock Turtle, for example, remarks that he took the "regular course" in school: Reeling, Writhing, and branches of Arithmetic-Ambition, Distraction, Uglification, and Derision. Carroll believed John Tenniel's illustrations were as important as his text. Naturally, Carroll's instincts were good; the masterful drawings are inextricably tied to the well-loved story. (All ages) --Emilie Coulter --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly
Zwerger's (The Wizard of Oz) captivating cover image of the Mad Tea-Party for this edition of Carroll's 1865 tale conveys the psychological tension of the interior artwork: Alice, at the head of an elongated table with a pristine white linen cloth, stares at the pocket watch that the March Hare is about to lower into his cup of tea. The Hare, bug-eyed, gazes out at readers while the Mad Hatter to his right, wearing a hat box, fixates on a black upturned chapeau (in lieu of a place setting), and the Dormouse between them sleeps. Across the table, an empty red mug is placed in front of a vacant green chair, and a teacup and saucer trimmed in red seems to be set for the reader. The painting conveys the way in which Zwerger brilliantly manages both to invite readers into the story and to keep them at a distance. From the heroine's first appearance, as she falls down a well while chasing the White Rabbit, with a glimpse of orderly bookshelves at the upper left corner, Zwerger demonstrates the many layers to Alice's journey: a cutaway view reveals that the bulk of the other "shelves" are the result of rats and insects tunneling underground. The supporting cast conveys the artist's nearly sardonic perspective. The contrary caterpillar, with six of its eight arms crossed, would be at home in New York's East Village: instead of a hookah it smokes a cigarette and sips red wine, yetAunlike Sir John Tenniel's sedated counterpartAthis caterpillar is lucid, defiantly staring out at an Alice (and readers) absent from the scene. Zwerger's penetrating interpretation reinvents Carroll's situations and characters and demands a rereading of the text. All ages. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 104 pages
• Publisher: North-South Books (August 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0735811660
• ISBN-13: 978-0735811669
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,009,632 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books I have read (no exagerration), July 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Alice in Wonderland (Apple Classics) (Paperback)

While this is generally considered a "children's book", Alice In Wonderland can only be fully appreciated by adults or teenagers. It contains so many private jokes, grammar puns, and other such stuff that a child would not understand it, really. I first read it when I was in first grade, a rather hard book really for first graders, and loved it incredibly. But rereading every year of my life since then (I am now fifteen) one finally can truly relish the great puns and imaginative ideas that Carroll (or Dodgson, his real name) placed within this extremely random book. Yes, there really isn't much of a single plot. It jumps from place to place. Just like a real dream. I don't understand why some people think that this is "scary" for little children though. C'mon, the Wizard of Oz and Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes (when the bough breaks, the cradle will fall- if little children aren't afraid of THAT, I don't what would scare them) is more frightening than this beautifully-crafted story. Note that the Queen of Hearts, though she has an insatiable urge to decapitate every person she sees, never really kills anyone- the Griffin says so. It's not frightening, rather, it's full of what little children like- randomness, smiling cats, violent-tempered queens, talking rabbits, and imaginary animals. If one is discovering this book for the first time, let it enchant you. If you are re-discovering this book, find in it the things you couldn't find before. If you are simply re-reading it for the fiftieth time (like me), then enjoy every single moment of it. It really is one of the best books I have read, right up there with- dare I say it- Colour Purple and Les Miserables. Yes, even Les Miserables.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best edition of Alice, March 30, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Books of Wonder) (Hardcover)

This is my preferred copy of AAIW, and I have several. The quality of the illustrations is superior, because they were made from recently excavated printing blocks. The result is they reveal greater detail than I had seen before, leaving me more impressed than ever with John Tenniel's talent--as if Lewis Carroll's wasn't enough. A beautiful, beautiful book.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's so logical, it doesn't make sense!, July 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Tor Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)

Most people think about "Alice in Wonderland" as being some little kid book about nonsense. Actually, Lewis Carroll was a very smart man. He invented Wonderland to show people truths in their own world most people wouldn't even bother thinking about. In fact, I think the whole point of the book is that even though Wonderland seems so unreal and full of nonsence, it's really just the same as our own world! I admit, I was curious about what a book so popular written for children would be like. It was great! I'd recomend it to anyone!