A review by emmaj_xo
Alice's Adventures Under Ground: The Original Manuscript by Lewis Carroll

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Reading the original handwritten manuscript, with Carroll’s original illustrations, was such a delight. This manuscript, gifted to little Alice Liddell, is an earlier version of the story before it was edited and expanded for print. There’s no Mad Hatter yet, or pig baby, which seems remarkable given how iconic the tea party scene became. There is however a lovely, short epilogue about the real Alice and her sisters. The care taken in lovingly and carefully transcribing the work is evident too.

This particular British Library edition is complete with a wonderful introduction explaining the origin of the story and the transcript itself. I particularly enjoyed reading of the circumstances that lead to the little leather-bound book coming into the British Library’s collection.