Rare edition of "Alice" in 1865 can be purchased for several million dollars

NEW YORK. Christie’s put up for auction a copy of "Alice in Wonderland" from the first run.

Photo: Christie’s

This book is bound in the color of dark cinnabar with gold stamping - the dream of any "alisofil". One of the few copies of the very first circulation that have survived to this day. The signal specimens rejected by Carroll and Tenniel because of claims to the quality of printing did not go on sale, but they were not destroyed. The auctioned edition was once owned by the family of George William Kitchin, a friend and colleague of Alice’s author. His daughter Alexandra (Alexandra "Xie" Kitchin), who inherited a bibliographic rarity, is captured in several dozen pictures of Carroll. One of them will be a nice bonus to the main purchase.

Photo: Christie’s

The collaboration of two talented people in their work on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland proved to be a considerable test for both of them. Carroll, who dreamed of illustrating his book on his own and prepared several dozen drawings, had to abandon this idea in favor of professionalism. The choice fell on the cartoonist from Punch magazine, John Tenniel. He strongly opposed the author’s attempts to impose his idea of the visual component of his book. As a result, Alice appeared to the readers exactly the way the artist saw her - a gloomy blonde with a big head that did not resemble the original. The white knight looks like Tenniel, and not like Carroll (Lewis Carroll), as the latter dreamed. And the appearance of many iconic characters is a direct reference to the images of famous politicians of that time. Despite mutual unflattering remarks, cooperation continued further. “Alice in the Looking Glass” saw the light only after three years of work on it. Tenniel, who felt like he was the master of the situation, worked on his own terms. His illustrations are considered canonical to this day.

Elena Tanakova © Gallerix.ru