The classic book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was written in 1865 by Lewis Carroll, a math teacher whose real name was Charles Dodgson. It was inspired by a real girl named Alice, and it is full of fun, silly surprises. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Real-Life Inspiration
- Inspired by a real friend: The story was first told during a boat trip to entertain a real-life child named Alice Liddell and her sisters. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
- Not a blonde: Even though many cartoons show Alice with bright blonde hair, the real Alice Liddell and the character in the very first drawings had dark brown hair. [1]
Fun History and Sights
- A real medical condition: There is an actual medical condition called "Alice in Wonderland Syndrome" where people temporarily see things as much bigger or smaller than they actually are. The author, Lewis Carroll, may have suffered from this! [1]
- A very expensive redo: The book's original illustrator, John Tenniel, hated how the first printed pictures turned out. Lewis Carroll had to pay to scrap the whole first edition out of his own pocket