John Tenniel’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
A miniature book around John Tenniel’s illustrations
for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
I love Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, its freedom and absurdity, and I had wanted to pay tribute to this incredible work for some time.
So I designed this miniature book (ca. 6 x 7 cm / 2.25 x 2.75 in) (I love small things too), drawing inspiration from the original books and contemporary items. It features John Tenniel’s 42 original engraved illustrations for Alice in Wonderland, each with a quotation from the 1865 text on opposite pages.
Our John Tenniel’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (2021) exists in four different editions, in each of which various small et large things are added to the book :
1 – “John Tenniel” Limited Edition
Entails the miniature book and its jacket.
Limited to 430 copies, numbered by hand.
Price: €28 €23 → See in the Shop
2 – “White Rabbit” Limited Edition
The miniature book and its jacket,
plus the very cute, foldable, cut-out silhouette figurine of the White Rabbit
(2.2 x 3 cm / 0.87 x 1.18 in, laser-cut black paper, assembled by us).
Price: €32 €25 → See in the Shop
This miniature figurine is also available on its own, while stocks last!
Price: €5 → See in the Shop
3 – “Alice’s Friend” Special Edition (49 copies)
Entails:
– the miniature book with its jacket
– the foldable cut-out silhouette of the White Rabbit
– a 28-p., sewn-bound, color booklet that features Tenniel’s 20 color illustrations for Lewis Carroll’s Nursery ‘Alice’ (1890)
– in a fine, color rigid slipcase (6 x 7.4 x 1.9 cm / 2.36 x 2.91 x 0.75 in).
Limited to 49 copies, numbered and signed.
Price: €84 → See in the Shop
4 – “Alice’s Favourite” Very Special Edition (21 copies)
Entails:
– all the previous, i.e. the miniature book, its jacket, the Rabbit, the booklet, the slipcase,
– and a very delicate, laser-cut pop-up spread (7.4 x 10.5 cm / 2.91 x 4.13 in closed), assembled by us, that features plenty of characters and places from the book.
Limited to 21 copies (#1 to 20 and #42), numbered and signed.
Price: €168 → See in the Shop
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A Few Details…
The book design of this miniature book is filled with references, that betray a rare-book lover, and full with various peculiarities, listed below!
The hardcover takes after the original binding: its color is rendered by a digital painting, and the cloth by fancy textured paper. The medallions (originally gilt) from the plates and the backstrip title were adapted to be readable in a small format.
The jacket is an original creation that uses elements from Nursery “Alice” (1890) and from the 1937 color edition, modified on the theme of playing cards (continued on the slipcase of the deluxe edition).
Endpapers are freely adapted from the chess game engraving found at the beginning of Through the Looking Glass (1872).
The half-title page is a re-creation of the original half-title thanks to the font Engravers MT and delicate adjustments.
The rest of the text was composed using Bell MT, which fits perfecty, IMHO!
The miniature book (slightly less than 6 x 7 cm) (6 x 7 = 42, Lewis Carroll’s favorite number) features the 42 illustrations by Tenniel, each with a quotation on the opposite page. I replaced the original frontispiece in the timeline of the story (plate 36 here).
The quotations, the reading of which won’t be impeded, we hope, by typos, come from the 1865 text. It should be noted that the text of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland may considerably differ from one edition to the next and was at times very freely adapted by publishers.
The 70 deluxe copies (numbered 1 to 70) entails several extras, namely a color booklet, a slipcase and a cut-out movable silhouette.
The booklet, prettily sewn, features the 20 color illustrations by Tenniel for Nursery “Alice” (1890).
The front cover shows the original cover illustration by Gertrude Thomson.
The green blackground is a digital painting that imitates the color of the pretty binding of the People’s Edition of Alice (1887).
The design of the rigid slipcase, red on white, plays on mirror effects and the theme of playing cards, taking in elements from Alice and card games around Alice.
The miniature silhouette is an original creation, laser-cut in thick black paper and assembled by (my) hand. It features the White Rabbit, in a hurry, pocket watch in hand, and can stand up straight and be folded flat again, thanks to a small movable system.
Last but not least, 21 of these 70 deluxe copies (#1-20 and #42) also entail a detailed laser-cut pop-up spread, assembled by (my) hand. this pop-up is larger than the book (7.4 x 10.5 cm / 2.91 x 4.13 in while closed). It is a complex original design in kiri-e (cut paper). Many of the characters and places of the story show up in the pop-up and its covers with amazing detail.
Thanks for reading!I hope that this short tour behind the scenes made you enjoy the book even more. More in the shop!
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