Alice in Wonderland / Through the Looking Glass

“I don't understand you,” said Alice, “It is dreadfully confusing.”

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass. Is a book of utter nonsense. It is completely ridiculous. That is why it has become such a classic. So many people will try to look for a deeper meaning in this story. Stop looking. Just sit back and enjoy the nonsene.

I like the first book more then the second one.

It felt so nostalgic reading this. Alice's wild imagination led her to the wonderland, just like how most children do. I used to dream a lot of adventurous stuff, with my own dream friends. Often time they were so ridiculous just like how Alice's are and remembered feeling so happy when i woke up.

This book made me remember those times.

This is a great version of the classic story in that it has notes, definitions, historical facts, and other tidbits that tie into the story and help the reader better understand the plot. It's also great for people just interested in the general history of Carroll and his writings. I recommend this to anyone who hasn't read it, because it's unabridged (the first copy of Alice... I owned had many parts missing I didn't even know about till I read this version) and because it's well thought out and put together.

I picked up The Annotated Alice to help me thoroughly prepare for our upcoming bookgroup discussion of Alice in Wonderland. I don't think you could find any book that would explain and provide thoughtful commentary for the curious aspects of this very curious book. Just for fun, I also read Alice in Wonderland, illustrated by Alison Jay, along with the Disney Step into Reading version, and the board book version, Alice in Wonderland: A Colors Primer. And I read The Once Upon a Time Map Book: Take a Tour of Six Enchanted Lands (including Alice's) and Alice in Wonderland Adapted for the Stage.

Oh, this book is a trip. A children's story, no doubt, but a re-read at 17 actually left me open mouthed at its deceptive status as a ‘mere children's books.' Lots of hidden symbolism, meaning and metaphor, fun wordplay and overall just a delight to read. ‘Not just a children's book.' This one is very, very clever. How many people know that Lewis Carroll (actual name Charles Lutwidge Dodgson) was also a mathematician?

I have read two poems included in Through the Looking Glass (listed and rated below):

• “Jabberwocky”: This is a poem from Lewis Carroll’s book Through the Looking-Glass. It includes a bunch of nonsense words that tell a surprisingly decipherable story. The poem is an interesting tool for revealing the nature of language and grammar. Rating: 4.5/5
• “The White Knight’s Song”: This poem recounts the bizarre interaction of the speaker and an old man. The speaker repeatedly asks the old man how he lives but fails to listen to the odd answer in favor of pondering equally odd thoughts. Rating: 2.5/5