Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: Read the Original Manuscript

Uncover the origin story of the famous franchise ‘Alice in Wonderland”, and meet the original author!

This whimsical tale has engaged readers for decades, but did you know that it began as a simple story told to entertain three young girls during a boat trip? Together we will explore the origins of this timeless tale, the original author and the ways it has been adapted over the years!

The Author: Lewis Carroll
Born in 1832 and personally known as Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, the original author was a man of many talents. He worked as a mathematician at Oxford University, a photographer, and a writer. During his time working at Oxford he befriended the Liddell family, whose middle daughter, Alice Liddell, would become the muse for his most famous creation.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: Born on a Boat Trip
The story of Alice was born on a sunny afternoon in July 1862. Dodgson and a colleague took Alice and her sisters on a rowing trip up the River Thames. To entertain the girls, Dodgson created a fantastical tale of a young girl named Alice who fell down a rabbit hole into a magical world filled with peculiar creatures and bizarre adventures. The youngest daughter, Alice Liddell, was so captivated by the story that she begged Dodgson to write it down. Two years later, he presented her with a handwritten, 90 page manuscript titled “Alice’s Adventures Under Ground”, complete with his own illustrations.

From Private Manuscript to Worldwide Publication
Encouraged by friends to publish the story, Dodgson rewrote and enlarged it, removing some of the private family references, adding two new chapters, and adding professional illustrations completed by John Tenniel, a renowned artist. In 1865, the book was published as “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” and quickly gained popularity among readers. Shortly after in 1871, the sequel titled “Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There,” was published. Throughout the years it has taken on multiple forms including Disney’s animated classic from 1951, Tim Burton’s 2010 live-action film franchise, multiple stage productions, countless literary adaptations and parodies.

The Original Manuscript
Many years later, Alice Liddell was forced to sell the precious manuscript at auction. It was then bought by an American collector, but returned to England in 1948 after a group of American benefactors presented it as a token of appreciation to the British people’s role in the Second World War. Now, thanks to the digitization efforts of the British Library, the original 1864 manuscript of “Alice’s Adventures Under Ground” can be viewed online.

Now that this piece of literary history has been publicized, film lovers, literature enthusiasts, or fans of the story can directly access the origins of the tale that has become the great Alice in Wonderland franchise. Explore the manuscript yourself on the British Library’s Website.

Are you ready to tumble down the rabbit hole just like Alice? You may find these links helpful:
Online Writing Courses, by Domestika
Online Storytelling Courses, by Domestika