The Story & Significance
Originally published in 1865, Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is the definitive masterpiece of literary nonsense. By abandoning the moralizing tone typical of Victorian children's literature in favor of pure, imaginative play, Carroll fundamentally reshaped the genre. The narrative—following young Alice through a subterranean world of shifting logic and eccentric characters like the Mad Hatter and the Cheshire Cat—remains a profound exploration of identity and the arbitrary nature of social rules. This edition, produced by the Henry Altemus Company, reflects the enduring 19th-century demand for Carroll's work, which has influenced everything from surrealist art to modern psychedelic culture.
Physical Description & Provenance
Edition: Henry Altemus Edition (c. Late 1890s).
Publisher: Henry Altemus Company, Philadelphia.
Binding: Original publisher's cloth featuring decorative Victorian stamping.
Condition Points: This copy is in Poor condition and is offered as a "Curious Copy." Note: Several pages in the middle of the text block are loose and completely separated from the binding. The binding itself is loose, and the boards show significant staining and age-related wear.
Provenance: A genuine artifact from the prolific Henry Altemus house, known for their popular and aesthetically distinct "Altemus' Young People's Library" series.
Collector’s Note
The Henry Altemus editions of Alice are beloved for their unique cover art and period-specific charm. Although this specimen has severe structural fatigue—most notably the loose and separated pages—it remains a fascinating candidate for a "rescue" project. It is an ideal piece for a bibliophile interested in binding restoration or for a beginning collector who wants an authentic late-19th-century Alice at a nominal price point. Despite the loose leaves, the remaining text and the decorative boards preserve the nostalgic feel of a book that was clearly well-loved by previous generations.
The Story & Significance
Originally published in 1865, Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is the definitive masterpiece of literary nonsense. By abandoning the moralizing tone typical of Victorian children's literature in favor of pure, imaginative play, Carroll fundamentally reshaped the genre. The narrative—following young Alice through a subterranean world of shifting logic and eccentric characters like the Mad Hatter and the Cheshire Cat—remains a profound exploration of identity and the arbitrary nature of social rules. This edition, produced by the Henry Altemus Company, reflects the enduring 19th-century demand for Carroll's work, which has influenced everything from surrealist art to modern psychedelic culture.
Physical Description & Provenance
Edition: Henry Altemus Edition (c. Late 1890s).
Publisher: Henry Altemus Company, Philadelphia.
Binding: Original publisher's cloth featuring decorative Victorian stamping.
Condition Points: This copy is in Poor condition and is offered as a "Curious Copy." Note: Several pages in the middle of the text block are loose and completely separated from the binding. The binding itself is loose, and the boards show significant staining and age-related wear.
Provenance: A genuine artifact from the prolific Henry Altemus house, known for their popular and aesthetically distinct "Altemus' Young People's Library" series.
Collector’s Note
The Henry Altemus editions of Alice are beloved for their unique cover art and period-specific charm. Although this specimen has severe structural fatigue—most notably the loose and separated pages—it remains a fascinating candidate for a "rescue" project. It is an ideal piece for a bibliophile interested in binding restoration or for a beginning collector who wants an authentic late-19th-century Alice at a nominal price point. Despite the loose leaves, the remaining text and the decorative boards preserve the nostalgic feel of a book that was clearly well-loved by previous generations.
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