Alice in Wonderland Exhibit at the Harry Ransom Center!!!

Only a few posts ago I was touting the spectacular collection and exhibit schedule of the Harry Ransom Center, the primary research facility for the Humanities at the University of Texas. Once again, I am thrilled to post preview information about their upcoming Alice in Wonderland exhibit! The Ransom Center owns several original photographs, letters and manuscripts from Lewis Carroll, as well as lots of items specific to Alice in Wonderland.

They have an original first edition that is one of the world's few "hospital copies." Here is the story according the website...

In June 1865, Lewis Carroll had fifty copies of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland bound up for presentation to family and friends. Shortly afterward the illustrator, John Tenniel, complained to Carroll that he was "entirely dissatisfied with the printing of the pictures." The author gave in to Tenniel’s request that the issue be suppressed. Carroll then attempted to recover the presentation copies, promising to replace them. All but perhaps fifteen copies were returned to Carroll, who then removed the presentation inscriptions and donated the books to children’s hospitals.

The cover and inside title page of the Harry Ransom Center's "hospital copy" First Edition.

The Ransom Center also owns a rare first edition Russian copy that was translated by a young Vladimir Nabokov, who was paid a whopping $5 for his trouble.

For more information, here is a video of the upcoming exhibit. I hope you can make it! Please share this post and spread the word on this wonderful exhibit!