Top Ten(ish) Alice In Wonderland - The Best Antique Editions - An Antique Books Guide

Alice in Wonderland

This story has captivated audiences the world overs, spawned numerous films and is still in print today, nearly one-hundred and fifty after first being published.

Hundreds of artists, illustrators and publishers have taken on this iconic tale of youth, disobedience and nonsense but only a few have made this list of the most important editions ever published.

Among the top ten expect to see famous Golden Age illustrators, beautiful covers and huge variation as I guide you, the reader, through the very best of Alice.

Runner Up:  Backhouse edition

Illustrated by the creative G.W Backhouse, this edition is 1940's gold with bold black and white illustrations interspersed between the large and vivid colour ones.

Look out for: The story-boars style illustrations are cartoon-esque and very inventive for a children's book.

Value: £5-10

10. Humphrey Milford edition

This particular edition is quite difficult to write about as the illustrator is not listed.

The stunning cover decorations straight out of the art-deco 1920's and the sombre illustrations akin to Arthur Rackham allow this edition to hit the number nine spot.

Look out for: The highly decorative covers

Value: £10-£20

9. Tenniel 'Children's Edition' 

This art-deco edition ran from the late 1920's through to 1978 which is testament not only to the popularity of the book but to the appeal of this edition. With bold art-deco covers and the traditional illustrations by the famed Sir John Tenniel,this edition is delightfully charming throughout.

Look out for: Tenniel's rare colour plates

Value: £15-£30

8. Margaret Tarrant edition

The Tarrant illustrated edition is, in its original form, the most Art-Deco and probably most appropriate of the Alice's listed here. By this I mean that from the covers to the charming period illustrations this edition is exactly what most imagine Alice to be like.

Look out for: The famous colour cover plate perfectly captures one of Alice in Wonderland's memorable scenes.

Value: £20-£50

7. Harry Rountree cheaper edition

This rare 1900-1920 edition is not quite as artistically lavish as some of the other editions in this list. What it does have however are illustrations by the famed Harry Rountree who is known for his warm style and especially for his work on Alice. A classic Alice in Wonderland with less illustrations than the first edition but still worthy of a mention.

Look out for: The subtle art-deco influence on the covers

Value: £20-£40

6. Rene Cloke edition

This is one of the most common of the vintage Alice's and is remarkable for the level and style of the illustrations. Rene Cloke's edition is a little late for the Art-Deco that seems to influence many other editions in this top ten and so the illustrations and style are a little more creative, a little more varied whilst still relying on bold designs and straight lines.

Look out for: The bold black and uni-colour illustrations between the colour plates are quite simply excellent.

Value: £5-15

5. Gwynedd M. Hudson edition

This is perhaps my favourite of all the editions listed here. Gwynedd managed to capture the vintage charm of the story, creating beautiful illustrations that set a real theme throughout, with retro and vintage being the main key words here. The title page is particularly stunning and every page bears some sort of embellishment to create a beautiful reading experience.

Look out for: The fashionable outfits given to Alice by Hudson in the illustrations are immaculately imagined.

Value: £25-£50

4. Harry Rountree first edition

This rare edition comes around in first edition form only in a blue moon and always sells well. Later reprints miss the beautiful decorative covers and the plethora of illustrations - only some of which make it into reprints. Rountree found fame with his illustrations of Enid Blyton's books along with many others and his beautiful water-colour style perfectly compliments this charming story.

Look out for: The fantastic decorative covers are partly to blame for the high prices this book achieves and are possible the most attractive of all Alice editions.

Value: £250-£1,250

3. Arthur Rackham's Alice

This is one of the most collected of the Alice's and quite rightly so for the famed Golden Age illustrator Arthur Rackham lent his hand to the story and created a visceral and moody take on the tale. This edition is the first (1907) and is valued by collectors as one of Rackhamss best works.

Look out for: The frontispiece of Alice is a perfect example of Art-Nouveau illustration and shows Rackham's talent at its best.

Value: £75-150

Joint 2nd: The People's Edition

This edition is truly iconic.

Featuring green covers with a bold red print of Alice among playing cards and with the original John Tenniel illustrations, this Victorian edition was very bold for the era and is one of the first popular editions of this book. This edition is published by the original publishers who printed the first edition of Alice not twenty years before, making this one of the most authentic editions and more than deserving of first place in this count.

The copy pictured below is the joint edition which features 'Alice in Wonderland' and 'Through the Looking Glass'

Look out for: The bold, Victorian covers and original Tenniel illustrations

Value: £30-75

Join 2nd: The Tenniel Colour Illustrated edition

It was too difficult to choose second place in this top ten and so this John Tenniel edition is joined with another John Tenniel edition.

This edition was printed from 1911 onwards and features all of the original black and white illustrations that made Alice in Wonderland so remarkable among children's books and also a good number of colour plates too.

Importantly, the 1911 first edition was the first time these colour plates were printed and the colour is quite different from later editions, making this edition hugely important in terms of Alice history.

With the icon of the white rabbit on the front cover and a great quality shown throughout, this is the definitive edition of Alice in Wonderland and is my first place edition.

Look out for: The remarkable colour illustrations first seen in this edition and the iconic gold rabbit motif on the front cover. The epitome of Alice in Wonderland.

Value: £50-75

1st - Charles Robinson first edition

Charles Robinson is one of the ebst known Golden Age illustrators, best known for his beautiful line drawings and work on Grimm's Fairy Tales. His brother, Heath Robinson, is another famed illustrator, making the family very well respected by collectors. And this edition is possibly his finest work and the best edition of Alice in Wonderland ever produced. 

Exhibiting stunning gilt covers and an elaborate presentation throughout, this beautifully illustrated edition features a wide variety of Robinson's works, from bright and vivid colour plates to prized black and white illustrations that are dripping with art-nouveau character. This edition is also extremely rare, with copies coming available less than once in a blue moon. In fact, this book is so rare that I have created a separate blog article on it, if you fancy finding out more:

http://anantiquebooksguide.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/1907-alices-adventures-in-wonderland-by.html

Look out for: The incredible line drawings are truly a sight to behold and place Charles Robinson as one of the finest illustrators of all time.

Value: £?

Thanks for reading.

As ever all photography is my own and i'm always happy to offer advice if you have any questions.

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Chris