- I finished this classic yesterday on a warm, sunny day in Connecticut. I'm a man in my 30's, and I became sad that this adventure had come to an end so quickly. This was my first read-through of Alice, and I was surprised at how laugh-out-loud nonsensical the book truly was. I had seen some of the film adaptations, but they do not do Carroll justice.
- Quick summary: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, for those new to literature, is the story of a whimsical little girl (Alice) who is transported via rabbit hole to a world filled with anthropomorphic creatures living mad, even wild lives. Her interactions with them are brief, but truly lunatic. Her interactions with the Duchess, the Hatter, and Cheshire Cat particularly tickled me. And, I couldn't help but picture a goofy actor like Will Ferrell playing the King, especially in the final court scene.
- I really grew to love the character of Alice, and I think it will push me to immediately pick up Through The Looking Glass. Though merely a young girl, she is intuitive, inquisitive, courageous, and challenging in a world with combative caterpillars and a murderous Queen. She never backs down regardless of her ever-changing size, has sympathy for the meeker subjects of the land, and tolerates all levels of craziness with a cool head. She is a solid female lead character and I enjoyed following her travels. Obviously, the Hatter is a famous character, and I found the personalities of the Duchess, the Queen, the Cook (omg), and the Cat to be amusing as well, but I really think Alice herself carries the story.
- I feel as though you know a book is a classic in Children's Lit when an adult can enjoy it too. That's what Carroll has done here, creating an tale both child and adult will really adore. Buried in the illogical I found some great nuggets of wisdom as well. Amongst the many themes this book displays, I'd say the concept of change hit me the hardest. As I said, the size of Alice is constantly changing, as is her surroundings and the characters she meets. Yet, somehow, she also understands mentally she has changed as well. She repeats phrases like " It's no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then." And, that I guess hits me as someone who realizes I am no longer in my own youth, and things are different now. Change, especially in an age of quarantines and self isolation, social distancing and pandemics- is real and unforgiving. I needed this. And, I would advise anyone
... keep reading on reddit ➡Alice woke up slowly, then stretched and yawned. Although it was the morning she’d been waiting for, she certainly didn’t feel another year older. But the calendar didn't lie- today was Alice's birthday.
“What’s that Dinah?” Alice asked the cat at the foot of her bed, who only mewed in response. “Why thank you! Yes, it is my birthday. Oh, you don’t need to get me a present. After all, you are a cat, and-”
She was interrupted by her sister’s voice, calling from downstairs. “Alice? Alice?”
She sighed. “Excuse me, please,” she said to Dinah. “I’m sure it’s something important.”
She opened the door and slipped downstairs, her sister was in the kitchen, stirring the batter that would later become Alice’s cake.
“Ah, good morning!” her sister said with a smile. “And happy birthday,” she added.
Alice only smiled.
“You got something in the post today.” She gestured towards the table with the mixing spoon. She noticed that a little bit of batter dripped onto the floor and she quickly put the spoon back into the bowl.
Alice picked up the small, but surprisingly heavy, envelope. Her heart started to beat faster. She recognized the paper; she knew the wax seal on the back. On the front, her address was written in careful, flowing script.
“A birthday card?”
Alice smiled to herself, holding the card close to herself and heading back downstairs. “Yes,” she replied. “And maybe a present.”
Only when she was in the privacy of her own bedroom did Alice open the enveloped. She carefully broke the seal and removed the contents.
Queen Alice, it began.
Alice grinned like the Cheshire cat. “You see that, Dinah?” She held the paper so her cat could read it, if she were so inclined.
Dinah mewed. To Alice, she sounded very impressed.
Alice continued reading out loud, using her most important-sounding and royal voice. “You are cordially invited to a surprise birthday party, in your honor.” Alice thought about that for a moment. “How can one be invited to a surprise party?” she wondered.
Dinah cocked her head to the side.
“You can’t figure it out either? Oh, well. I suppose I’ll figure it out once I get there. But how exactly do I get there?”
She looked at the card again. At the very bottom was a smudge; but when Alice looked more closely, she saw that it was actually very small writing.
“Turn card over, please,” she read. “Well, it’s certainly a very polite card.” She did as the card said, flipping to the opposite side. “Go through the mirr
... keep reading on reddit ➡Hello All, I purchased what I believe to be a first edition of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland many years ago and have recently stumbled upon it again. I know book values are dictated heavily on condition, I would say this books condition is "good". I have seen prices ranging from a couple hundred dollars up to a multimillion Christy's auction piece that failed to sell. I know Carroll cancelled the first run of about two thousand books due to his dissatisfaction of some of the artwork. Again, in the brief research I've done, I believe this book may be one of that very first run. If there are any additional photos requested, I can certainly provide. The book is obviously red hardcover, and there are light blue pages right inside each cover. Thank you all in advance! https://imgur.com/gallery/4UuESkI
On the book (didn't watch the movies) there is a queen that, when judging the prisoners, she says "Sentence first, verdict afterwards"
On the books, I keep finding little funny references to that:
“Trial first,” drawled Ser Lyn Corbray, “then execution.” (A Game of Thrones, Catelyn's chapter)
“A trial first!” said Anguy. “Lord Beric always gives them a trial, you know that.” He smiled. “Then he hangs them.” (A Storm of Swords, Arya's chapter)
Worth noticing that in both books the word "then" is in italic. Am I reading too much into it or is that an easter egg?
A seller on eBay has listed a "1st US Edition" of Alice from 1869, published by Lee & Shepard of Boston.
The original 1865 first edition was technically printed in the UK, then shipped to America and Appleton added a cover page before releasing. I argue that THIS is the first American edition (the true 1st). The seller argues that, since the text block was printed in the UK, the 1st US edition is this one from 4 years later.
Is one of us full of it?
Audible has several classic unabridged audiobooks for sale for under a buck each:
- James Allen - Complete Premium Collection (21 Books included !)
- Napoleon Hill - Think and Grow Rich
- Marcus Aurelius - Meditations
- Arthur Conan Doyle - A Study in Scarlet (Sherlock Holmes)
- Arthur Conan Doyle - The Sign of the Four (Sherlock Holmes)
- Arthur Conan Doyle - The Valley of Fear (Sherlock Holmes)
- Arthur Conan Doyle - The Hound of the Baskervilles (Sherlock Holmes)
- Mark Twain - The Million Pound Bank Note
- [Lewis Carroll - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland](https://www.audible.com/pd/2291064053?qid=1561738966&sr=1-10&pf_rd_p=e81b7c27-6880-467a-b5a7-13cef5d729fe&pf_rd_r=8
... keep reading on reddit ➡
https://www.reddit.com/r/MrRobot/comments/af16wx/spoilers_the_red_queen_from_red_wheelbarrow_bbq/?utm_source=amp&utm_medium=&utm_content=post_body
Three face down cards, and you have to guess which is the red queen. That's what it meant by painting the Whiterose red.
"Prepare to declare" is a reference to when you choose which card you think is right.
The game is usually a con, where none of the cards are actually the red queen. Painting the white rose red means reversing the con, and changing the card you pick into the red queen. Scamming the scammers.
They don't know we are here yet refers to no one knowing that we aren't watching the real Elliot. It is literally written in the trail of a butterfly, which emerges from a cocoon, just like Elliot emerges from a mental cocoon at the end of the show.
The card itself shows two queens, usually on a card they are symmetrical, but on this one they aren't, one is angry and one is crying. This is the hint that the Elliot we were watching was just the angry side, with the sad one hidden under the surface. That's the one we see crying, and secretively crying for a second after Tyrell dies.
The fact the sad one being right side up and the other a reflection shows that when we see Elliot crying, that's the real Elliot.
The sad one, the real Elliot, holds a flower, a symbol of both love and mourning, traits of the real Elliot which the Mastermind does struggles with.
The angry one holds lavendar, a flower that was believed to he medicinal for hundreds of years, though it actually had no healing effect. The Mastermind believes he is helping the world, saving Elliot, though he ends up overvaluing himself and getting in the way of real healing.
The Mastermind and Mr Robot are the black cards, and the real Elliot is the red queen. Everyone who talks to the system known as Elliot, wants to talk to the real Elliot, the red queen, but Mr Robot and the Mastermind are shuffled in front of them. The Mastermind is painted red, so that if someone tries to win the game and get to him, like Whiterose did, they'll believe they've won, only to be duped and have their money taken, just like Whiterose. Angela says she can tell when she's not talking to the real Elliot because of his eyes being different, and on the playing card, we can tell between the two identical queens by looking at the eyes.
That's how he tricked Whiterose. She knew the real Elliot killed his father by exposing his secret, and regretted it, and t
... keep reading on reddit ➡Hello All, I purchased what I believe to be a first edition of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland many years ago and have recently stumbled upon it again. I know book values are dictated heavily on condition, I would say this books condition is "good". I have seen prices ranging from a couple hundred dollars up to a multimillion Christy's auction piece that failed to sell. I know Carroll cancelled the first run of about two thousand books due to his dissatisfaction of some of the artwork. Again, in the brief research I've done, I believe this book may be one of that very first run. If there are any additional photos requested, I can certainly provide. The book is obviously red hardcover, and there are light blue pages right inside each cover. Thank you all in advance! https://imgur.com/gallery/4UuESkI
)