Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There
Coming-of-Age Adventure Fiction Children’s Fantasy Literary Nonsense Victorian Classic Surreal Fiction Collector’s Antiquarian
Lewis Carroll’s 1871 sequel “Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There” is the darker, dreamier companion to Alice in Wonderland, and this vintage Ward Lock hardcover—complete with its original dust jacket—lets collectors and readers hold a piece of Victorian fantasy history in their hands. Instead of tumbling down a rabbit-hole, Alice steps through a parlor mirror into a living chessboard where nursery-rhyme characters talk back, time runs in reverse, and every move toward becoming queen is a life-size strategic game. The book’s mirror-image logic, word-play (“Jabberwocky,” “The Walrus and the Carpenter”), and Carroll’s mathematically precise nonsense have delighted ages 9-12, teens, and adults for 150 years, making it a timeless bridge between childhood bedtime stories and adult literary wit.
What makes this particular copy special is its vintage status from one of the earliest London publishers of Carroll’s work. The Ward Lock edition carries the same wood-engraved illustrations by John Tenniel that defined the visual Wonderland, yet its slightly larger trim and sturdier binding give it a more substantial shelf presence than modern paperbacks. Even in acceptable condition—with light scuffing to the jacket and typical age-related foxing on the page edges—the book remains tightly bound and complete, a survivor that has already lasted a century or more. A neat period inscription on the front pastedown adds a gentle human touch without obscuring text, offering a glimpse into the child who first received it.
For collectors of antiquarian children’s literature, a pre-1920 Looking-Glass with its dust jacket is increasingly scarce; most copies were read to pieces or lost in wartime paper drives. Readers looking for an evocative read-aloud edition will appreciate the thick, deckle-edged pages and high-contrast Tenniel images that still pop against the creamy paper. Whether shelved among Alice in Wonderland sets, displayed as Victorian fantasy décor, or given as a nostalgic gift, this edition delivers the authentic Carroll experience—no modern abridgments, no sanitized language—just the original inverted world where you have to run fast to stay in the same place and a simple handshake can turn into a sheep.
Refer to our eBay listing for a full condition report and many more high-quality pictures of this item.
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