Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
By Lewis Carroll & Illustrated by Robert Ingpen
Published August 2009
ISBN: 9781840119688
Templar Publishing
www.templarco.co.uk
After quickly scanning through my numerous bookshelves and piles before writing this post, I've roughly counted at least 10 different editions of the Alice's Adventures in Wonderland that I own so far and that’s not counting the numerous adaptations and reinterpretations that I have quietly amassed over the years.
While there is a small part of me that realizes that having so many multiple copies of the same book is incredibly impractical, both economically and spatially, I can’t help myself. There is a lure to this book that is incredibly hard for me to resist.
The stories that resonate with us are usually the ones from our childhood; the ones that sparked our first initial love of reading. Alice in Wonderland was the first book that fully captured my imagination. The first to conjure up imagery so exciting, so vivid and so ridiculous that I knew I wanted to be a part of it. It was the first fantasy universe that I wanted to escape into and first world that I truly wished with all my heart existed somewhere in real life. From the very first moment Alice tumbled down that rabbit hole, I fell with her and I never wanted to wake up from the dream.
I have to remind myself that I'm not actually reviewing the quality of the story, but the quality of the actual physical book for this review. It’s hard not to get carried away by enthusiasm and just say “READ IT ALREADY!” to those that haven’t yet. It’s an absolute classic. I normally avoid brandishing the label “classic” to a book I'm trying to encourage others to read, mostly because to some it conjures up images of dusty old tombs that they either avoid like the plague or feel obligated to own on their shelves, but never intend to read. But this is a classic in the truest sense of the meaning. A 19th century reviewer, Sir Walter Besant said it best when he wrote that Alice's Adventures in Wonderland "was a book of that extremely rare kind which will belong to all the generations to come until the language becomes obsolete". It a book that is meant to be read, to be enjoyed and it’s endearing and enduring story still evokes a sense of wonder and excitement with every additional reading. There’s always something new to discover in Wonderland.
Templar Publishing
www.templarco.co.uk
After quickly scanning through my numerous bookshelves and piles before writing this post, I've roughly counted at least 10 different editions of the Alice's Adventures in Wonderland that I own so far and that’s not counting the numerous adaptations and reinterpretations that I have quietly amassed over the years.
While there is a small part of me that realizes that having so many multiple copies of the same book is incredibly impractical, both economically and spatially, I can’t help myself. There is a lure to this book that is incredibly hard for me to resist.The stories that resonate with us are usually the ones from our childhood; the ones that sparked our first initial love of reading. Alice in Wonderland was the first book that fully captured my imagination. The first to conjure up imagery so exciting, so vivid and so ridiculous that I knew I wanted to be a part of it. It was the first fantasy universe that I wanted to escape into and first world that I truly wished with all my heart existed somewhere in real life. From the very first moment Alice tumbled down that rabbit hole, I fell with her and I never wanted to wake up from the dream.
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| "Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!" |
What I love the most about the artwork is the attention to the fine details. An astonishing amount of care has gone into each image; nothing suffers from even a hint of neglect. Every element, from the individual strands of hair on Alice’s head to the slightly chipped and worn shell of the Mock Turtle, has been lovingly rendered in exquisite detail. Flawlessly accurate but never rigid, the realism of Ingpen’s work adds depth and believability without detracting from the entertaining nonsense that is the heart and soul of the story.
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| The Mad Hatter | Curiouser and Curiouser | Alice embossed on cover |
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| The Tea Party: Where I first pondered "Why is a raven is like a writing desk?" |
Not only are the pictures in this edition elegantly and painstakingly drawn, but it’s also by far the most richly illustrated version I've come across. There are over 70 enchanting images to marvel and linger over. As an aspiring artist myself, I can’t help but be in awe of Ingpen’s sketches; so wonderfully textured with every pencil mark visible.
Why is it always harder to write about the things you love? Is it because criticism comes much more naturally to us, or is it because no combination of words seems to do the subject matter justice? When I first toyed with the idea of creating a “Beautiful Book of the Month” feature, Alice instantly popped in my mind as an obvious first choice, but I just couldn't figure out what to say. Months later and I'm still not convinced I've said the right things or nearly enough.
This is the book that I enthusiastically run from one far corner of the store to the next just to place in a customer’s hand. It’s one of the books that give me a warm happy glow inside whenever I manage to sell a copy to a fellow book lover. Not because it’s an extra sale for our shop, but because I’d like to imagine that this book will be a much loved and cherished addition to someone’s library. Just as it is in mine.
Other wonderful hardback classics in this series illustrated by Robert Ingpen
| Adventures of Tom Sawyer Jungle Book The Night Before Christmas Peter Pan and Wendy The Secret Garden Treasure Island Wind in the Willows Wonderful Wizard of Oz | 9781402767623 9781402782848 9781402781827 9781402728686 9781402778728 9781402775451 9781402782831 9781402775468 |
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