Synopses & Reviews
When
Through the Looking Glass was published in 1871, readers were as delighted with that book as they were with Lewis Carroll's first masterpiece, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. In the topsy-turvy world that lies beyond the looking-glass, Alice meets such fantastical characters as Tweedledum and Tweedledee, Humpty Dumpty, and the Jabberwock.
For over 120 years John Tenniel's superb illustrations have been the perfect complement to Lewis Carroll's timeless story. This is the first edition of Looking-glass to reproduce Tenniel's exquisite drawings from engravings taken directly from the original woodblocks. Here, Tenniel's fine line work is far crisper, delicate shadings are reproduced with more subtlety, and details never seen before are now visible.
The pictures for the first edition of Looking-glass were created by transferring the artist's drawings to woodblocks. These original blocks served as masters from which metal plates were made for printing. Unfortunately, these plates deteriorated from the repeated pressure applied during the printing process, and over time, many of the fine lines in Tenniel's pictures simply vanished.
The original woodblocks disappeared and were believed lost; then, in 1985 they were discovered in a London bank vault. Now, for the first time, engravings from these woodblocks have been used to produce a deluxe gift edition. At last, readers can see the Looking-glass that Carroll and Tenniel had originally intended.
About the Author
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (1832-1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, published Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in 1865 and its sequel, Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There, in 1871. Considered a master of the genre of literary nonsense, he is renowned for his ingenious wordplay and sense of logic, and his highly original vision.Sir John Tenniel briefly attended the Royal Academy Schools, but for the most part he was a self taught artist. His illustrations appeared regularly in Punch, but it was the Alice books that confirmed his international reputation as an illustrator. Tenniel was knighted in 1893.