Lewis Caroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
¶ 1 Leave a comment on paragraph 1 0 Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was published in 1865 and tells the story of a young girl who falls through a rabbit hole and into another fantasy world only one could dream of. It is a story that places with logic, adventure and the honest curiosity of a young girl. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, often shortened to “Alice in Wonderland” as time passes, is a popular children’s and adult novel and eventually is recreated beyond just a literary medium and into various films. Like a key plot point in the book, each book cover and eventual movie posters even, go through their own artistic rabbit hole throughout time.
¶ 2 Leave a comment on paragraph 2 2 The 1865 printed book cover design for Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is rather simplistic in design, reflecting the resources they had during that time period. This book cover houses a picture of Alice rimmed in gold standing out against the red hardcover. Other than the circular picture of Alice, there is nothing else to adorn the cover.
¶ 3 Leave a comment on paragraph 3 0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Alice_in_Wonderland,_cover_1865.jpg [1865 Cover]
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¶ 5 Leave a comment on paragraph 5 1 If you compare it to a cover within the last 30 years or so, you can see a rather substantial difference between the artwork. There is much more going on the front cover and compared to previous book cover which appeared more stationary, this cover has a substantial amount of movement and activity. There is detail in many of the easily recognizable images, such as Mr. Rabbit who is always running late, or the grinning Cheshire Cat. Or even the smaller more subtle details, like a teacup and the red hearts, give mention to what one will find in the book after they start reading it. Additionally, the colors and sketching are considerably more eye-catching and playful than the traditionally styled book cover, adorned with a simple gold image.
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¶ 10 Leave a comment on paragraph 10 1 But we can even go even a step further and analyze a movie poster too, in an attempt to showcase the evolution. The 2010 film directed by Tim Burton is evidently much more vibrant and seems more life-like compared to the images on the other two book covers. While those images are sketched, this movie poster brings humanistic qualities to life in each pivotal character and offers a graphically designed visual that seems like it came straight from Wonderland itself. Evidently, the differences within each design reflect the changes and advancement of time since when the book was originally published and it offers us our own unique trip down a visual rabbit hole.
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Syntax: I’m having a hard time parsing the last sentence of this paragraph. Slow down and say what you mean.
Yes: in 1865, the book would have been released in hardback (boards) with leather covering, unless the purchaser bought the text block by itself with the intention of having it custom-bound. However, it isn’t likely that anyone would have had a custom binding prepared for Carroll’s Alice for the chief reason that it is a children’s book (and would have been handled by children — why spend the extra money, right?).
I have, however, spent quite a bit of time with Edith Wharton’s personal copy of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, which is a first edition copy, and which has been so roughly (and repeatedly) handled over the years that it is nearly in shreds now.