1889 The Nursery "Alice"

Description

Colour Plates, First Edition, Illustrated, Publishers' Original Binding, Scarce

The scarce first edition, first issue.

Identified as the first issue via the publication date of 1889, and the price of 'Two Shillings' to the title page head. Williams, Madan, Green, 215, 185a.

Only 10,000 copies of this issue were produced and put into circulation before Carroll rejected it, his first reason was that the hare to the rear board is not centred, and his second reason was that the chromolithographs were too "bright and gaudy".

A more common first edition, second issue, complying with Carroll's demands, was published in 1890.

Illustrated with a colour frontispiece, and colour illustrations throughout.

Boards illustrated by Emily Gertrude Thomson. Thomson was approached by Carroll to illustrate this 'Nursery Alice' after he saw her illustrations for 'The Fairies' by William Allingham. However, Thomson took so long illustrating the cover that the work went to press, and she was unable to illustrate the rest of the work. Instead Tenniel's original illustrated were printed in this edition, coloured by Thomson. After this Carroll and Thomson became close friends until his death, after which she wrote a short biographical memoir on him.

Three pages of adverts to the rear.

This charming edition is written as though the story is being read allowed to children, with places in the narrative that ask children questions, and point out details in the illustrations.