Alice in Wonderland is a book collector's dream - a world-famous story that is loved by young and old alike and has seen more than 100 different translations during a lengthy publishing history that runs since 1865 and has never ceased production. This means that there are hundreds if not thousands of different editions out there, with many of the world's best illustrators working on artwork for this fun and nostalgic tale.
How do you know which one to choose, I hear you ask. Well, luckily I've collected the very best of the best below for your perusal, featuring names such as Arthur Rackham and Harry Rountree to name a few. Happy reading!
No.1: Charles Robinson - 1907
The creme de la creme has to be Charles Robinson's fabled Alice in Wonderland, first printed way back in 1907. With beautiful blue and gold covers, this is a very attractive edition. Inside, Robinson shows his talents through a huge number of stunning illustrations. The colour plates are pretty but the black and white line drawings are the reason that this copy is number one.
No.2: Harry Rountree - c1908
Close second comes the Harry Rountree edition, dating from a period period. This edition features the more natural, traditional watercolour illustrations that Rountree was famous for along with beautiful covers if you buy a first edition. Best known for his work illustrating many of Enid Blyton's books, Harry Rountree is an almost perfect match for this fun and charming children's story.
No. 3: John Tenniel - 1911/ 1884
Tenniel is best known for being the original Alice illustrator thanks to his work with the very first edition. Many later editions also used his drawings including copies published in present times. The 1911 edition comes with colour illustrations too but earlier editions from the 1860's are worth the most. Iconic illustration at its best.
No 4: Arthur Rackham 1907
If there's one illustrator you need to know about it's Arthur Rackham, Known for illustrating all sorts of fairy stories and children's book, Rackham was a pro artist and created a haunting, mature take on Alice with his 1907 edition. Highly collected in today's times, the quality and effort seen in this edition is rarely witnessed for a children's book.
No. 5: Gwynedd M. Hudson c1920
Perhaps the most fitting edition of Alice in Wonderland is Ms Hudson's amazing fashion-conscious work, complete with fun vintage-styled drawings and bold bi-colour designs. The designs used for Alice's clothing could well be considered in style today and the numerous throw-back illustrations match almost perfectly with the story.
6: Margaret W. Tarrant - c1916
Margaret Tarrant is a big name in children's book illustration, having worked on many famous fairy tales and novels. Her style is charming and colourful, ideally suiting a story like Alice in Wonderland. From the Art Deco covers to the wonderful classic illustrations, this is a very well-suited match between story teller and artist.
7. W.H Walker - c1928
This is one of the more popular editions but the first edition with beautiful covers is actually rather rare. This version features plenty of black and white drawings as well as lightly-shaded colour illustrations that are at once atmosphereic and old fashioned too. It makes for a great read, mainly because the style fits so well with this children's story.
8: Charles Folkard - c1921
This classic edition is often overlooked. And yet it only features one colour illustration. But the beautiful Art-Deco covers and numerous black and white illustrations more than make up for it. Not to mention the fact that Folkard is a renowned illustrator and his colour frontispiece makes this edition a classic.
9: Frank Adams - c1912
This scarce edition comes with several different covers, all of which are striking. Adams' illustrations are bright, colourful and completely suited to the fun story line, making this one of the most readable editions around.It's small, pretty and a must have.
10: Blanche McManus - c1910
This edition is rare, very Art Deco and distinctly monochrome. There are no colour illustrations in this copy, but Blanche McManus does lend her incredible talent with line drawing to the story, providing numerous Oriental-inspired drawings that give the book a more grown-up feel. A scarce edition that is often overlooked.
And there we have it - the very best illustrated editions of one of the world's best loved books. Which ones do you have? Or want? Feel free to comment and share, and as ever thanks for reading!
