Alice's Adventures in Wonderland -A Classic Illustrated Edition [Hardcover]

Lewis Carroll (Author), Cooper Edens (Compiler)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up | Series: Classic Illustrated

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is one of the most celebrated children's books of all time. Since its publication in 1865 most editions of the beloved tale have featured the work of a single artist. Chronicle Books is proud to present this Classic Illustrated Edition with a unique vision: Lewis Carroll's original story of little Alice's tumble down a rabbit hole is brought to life by a wondrous collection of vintage illustrations gathered from the late 19th and early 20th century editions of the book. This exquisite gallery of antique images makes for a truly magical journey to Wonderland that will appeal to children's book lovers of all ages.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3 Up-A clever concept that doesn't quite work. This version of Carroll's classic is illustrated with a patchwork compilation of artwork from late 19th and early 20th-century editions of the book. The original tale is decorated with the artistic renderings of John Tenniel, Arthur Rackham, Margaret Tarrant, Charles Robinson, Gertrude Kay, Maria Kirk, and Millicent Sowerby. Unfortunately, the artist is not always identified along with the featured illustration. Also, it is difficult to determine a targeted audience for this edition. While it is certainly interesting to see the wide-ranging portrayals of Alice and her cohorts over the decades, true scholars will want to compare the entire works, not selected samplings. Contemporary children, accustomed to visual interpretations, will find the multiple depictions of Alice jarring and confusing. Why does she have bouncy, brown curls on one page and long, blonde locks several pages later? This "anthology Alice" creates more of a visual hodgepodge than the intended artistic mosaic. Alice fans will be better off sticking with their favorite editions or purchasing one of the many recent offerings such as Helen Oxenbury's rendition (Candlewick, 1999).
Heide Piehler, Shorewood Public Library, WI
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Lewis Carroll is the pseudonym of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (1832-1898). He is best known for his two Alice books, Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, and The Hunting of the Snark.

Cooper Edens is an author and illustrator who lives in Seattle, Washington. His other books include The Night Before Christmas (0-8118-1712-1), The Glorious Christmas Songbook (0-8118-2204-4), and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (0-8118-2274-5), all publi

Product Details

• Hardcover: 152 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (August 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811822745
• ISBN-13: 978-0811822749
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #674,729 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lewis Carroll (1832-1898), the pen name of Oxford mathematician, logician, photographer and author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, is famous the world over for his fantastic classics "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," "Through the Looking Glass," "The Hunting of the Snark," "Jabberwocky," and "Sylvie and Bruno."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, April 1, 2002

By 

V. Charbonneau (Quebec, Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland -A Classic Illustrated Edition (Hardcover)

Children familiar only with the classic illustrations by John Tenniel will be introduced to a wide variety of artistic interpretations of Lewis Carroll's immortal "Alice in Wonderland", compiled by Cooper Edens. This unabridged edition brings together the works of over thirty illustrators from the late 19th to early 20th centuries. The book is aesthetically balanced with both black and white and color pictures. It is interesting to see how each artist has visualized Alice and the rest of the eccentric characters. Some, such as A. E. Jackson's and Margaret Tarrant's, I found right on target, while others, like A.A. Nash's Shirley Templesque Alice, I found off the mark. But this is simply a personal opinion. My favorite interpreter though is still Arthur Rackham, whose art is featured prominently. All in all a very satisfying purchase.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Fully Illustrated, February 19, 2008

By 

Shari DeCarlo "earth mother" (Cleveland, OH USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland -A Classic Illustrated Edition (Hardcover)

I wanted to read Alice in Wonderland to my 3 year old daughter. She will listen to stories, but has a much better attention span if they are illustrated. This book has illustrations on every page. I know some people hesitate because the illustrations are not all by the same artist, so depictions of Alice are not consistent. I certainly didn't mind that, and my little girl didn't, either. She was ENRAPTURED.
We LOVE this book. It's become nightly reading at bedtime. It's large, easy to share with a little listener. It's also beautiful enough for a keepsake. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to share this story, or wants to see all the glorious illustrations done over the years, by many talented artists.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful version of this classic tale, September 17, 2007

By 

DJ Joe Sixpack (...in Middle America) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland -A Classic Illustrated Edition (Hardcover)

So far, I have read "Alice's Adventures" twice with my daughter... The first time was a standard edition with black-and-white illustrations, and that was fun, though it took a while to get through. Revisiting the story with this ornate and wildly creative edition, which combines dozens of vintage illustrations from a number of different versions of the book, was a lot more fun... Although it can be mildly disconcerting to have the images and representations of Alice and the Wonderland menagerie change so much from panel to panel, at its heart this is a wonderful way to see the story -- you not only get a sense of how many different ways a story can be depicted, you also absorb a little bit of magic from each artist. Consistently surprising and evocative, this book breathes new life into a timeless tale. Highly recommended! (ReadThatAgain)