ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND by Carroll, Lewis - 1868

1868. With Forty-Two Illustrations by John Tenniel. Eleventh Thousand. London: Macmillan and Co., 1868. Original red cloth with cover vignettes in gilt, all page edges gilt.

Early Edition (fourth printing overall), of one of the landmark books of the 19th Century. The book was initially published in London in 1865, so dated, but John Tenniel was dissatisfied with the printing of his illustrations, so the book was held off the market (except for a very few copies, now bringing six figures); the 1865 copies were shipped to Appleton in New York, who issued them with their own title leaves dated 1866. There was then a new London printing dated 1866 (copies of either of these 1866 printings can now bring $50,000+). Over the coming years, there were numerous additional printings, still in the same-style binding, including this one: as quoted in WM&G, The authoritative Bibliographical Catalogue of Macmillan & Co.'s publications... informs us that that the first edition [which became the first American edition] was published in 1865, the second [the first English edition to be published as such] in 1866, the third in 1867, the fourth in Feb. 1868, and the fifth from electrotype plates in Oct. 1868. It is interesting to note, however, that there are 1867-dated copies reading "Fifth / Sixth / Seventh / or Eighth Thousand", and there are 1868-dated copies reading "Tenth / Eleventh / Twelfth / or Thirteenth Thousand" -- so clearly the copies of a single printing were divided up into several separate "Thousand"s. This copy dated 1868 reads "Eleventh Thousand," and its half-title has a presentation inscription (from "Grandmama" to a girl) dated Sept 12th 1868 -- which date would designate the "fourth edition" cited above. This is a very good copy, perhaps very good-plus: the red cloth is generally a bit mottled, and there are a droplet-mark on the front cover and a glass-ring on the back, but there is much less wear than it typically the case (very minor rubbing at some extremities). The original dark endpapers, bearing the booklabel of a seller in Windsor and of Burn & Co. the binder, are clean and intact. This is an excellent choice for the person who wants ALICE in its original binding style and with the original Tenniel illustrations, but at a price less than 1/50th of an 1866 copy's price. See Williams Madan & Green pp 27-31.