Phantasmagoria (Literary Classics) [Paperback]

Lewis Carroll (Author), Arthur B. Frost (Illustrator), Martin Gardner (Introduction)

Book Description

Series: Literary Classics | Publication Date: November 1998

Mathematician and author Lewis Carroll (1832-1898) has delighted millions with his most widely regarded book, "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland". Known for pointing out the absurdities of life in his fiction and poetry, Carroll (a pseudonym for Charles Lutwidge Dodgson) took paranormal belief to the extreme in the satirical poem "Phantasmagoria", the humorous story of an annoying ghost that is assigned to haunt a new house. While the owner wishes the ghost would simply leave, the ghost politely informs the man of the many types of spectres and their duties, which include scaring people, making them ill, and causing mysterious disturbances. This beautifully illustrated volume is the only edition of "Phantasmagoria" in print outside of Carroll anthologies.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The black and white illustrations, by Arthur B. Frost, are as witty as the poem. Charming." -- Fortean Times, March 2000

About the Author

The Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll, was an author, a mathematician, a clergyman, and a photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Through the Looking-Glass, The Hunting of the Snark, and Jabberwocky. Alice in Wonderland made him substantial sums of money, but he never abandoned his lectureship in mathematics at Christ Church College, Oxford. His work continues to entertain and amaze both children and adults. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 70 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books (November 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573922528
• ISBN-13: 978-1573922524
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,567,009 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

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We're talking the best of Carrol here., September 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Phantasmagoria (Literary Classics) (Paperback)

This poem, writen in five line verses, ranks right up there with Alice in Wonderland. The poetry of Homer with the wit of Dr. Suess. I would suggest this book to anyone who likes poetry in any form.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Vintage Carroll enhanced by Frost's art and Gardner's notes, September 30, 2000

By 

M. J. Smith (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Phantasmagoria (Literary Classics) (Paperback)

This book has woodcuts by Arthur B. Frost that capture the humor of Carroll's poem perfectly. Martin Gardner has provided a short introduction with letters from Carroll to Frost regarding the art and to a friend with regards to para-psychological phenomena. He also provides notes for obscure words or puns. Frost and Gardner are what makes this the version of Carroll's Phantasmagoria you should read.

The poem itself is a conversation between a man of 42 and a less than adept ghost. Among the things learned are the 5 rules of behavior for a ghost, the housing requirements for a ghost etc. Carroll's vintage humor is expressed in a narrative poem of seven cantos using verses of five rhymed lines. The poetry is well written - the rhymes are not forced but natural, the humor relatively subtle.

This book justifies its being in the series "Literary Classics".

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I'm Not Educated Enough To Understand It, February 18, 2007

By 

theboombody (Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Phantasmagoria and Other Poems (Paperback)

I love Lewis Carroll's work, but sometimes I just have no freaking clue what he's talking about. I experienced this sensation of vagueness a few times during my reading of the Sylvie and Bruno books, but I felt it most while reading some of the poems in Phantasmagoria.

But what I could understand I really enjoyed. I really loved Hiawatha's Photographing, Melancholetta, Size and Tears, and The Lang Coortin', although some of these poems have strangely inconclusive endings. It's interesting to see Carroll's last poem in this book, Fame's Penny Trumpet, where he's really, really mad at academic big-wigs.

Make sure you read Alice before even attempting to read this.