Search Results

25 January 2009
A few months ago I decided to give the online magazine Suite 101 a go. It is easy to join them as a writer. You don't get paid directly for doing the work, but you share in the revenue your articles generate for the site.

I have now given Suite101.com a pretty good trial. I have around 100 articles on their site - the articles are around 400-800 words long, mainly in the travel, children's books and food categories.

I have also seen what other Suite101 writers think. So now, I feel in a position to draw some conclusions.

So, is Suite 101 really a "a fulfilling writing job in your area of expertise" as the owners claim?

The bottom line for most people is probably the money. If you are a pro writer, have good web skills and a large body of articles which can be easily recycled, then it may be worth spending time recycling them all for Suite 101.

If you have absolutely no other way of making money by writing, then my conclusion is that Suite 101 is better than nothing, but probably (though not inevitably) not much better. Here's why.

How Much Money Will You Get From Suite101?

You do get paid but you are not paid upfront by the owners of Suite101.com. You post your articles on the site, and the amount of money you make depends on how many page views (or PVs) the articles have, PLUS (or mainly) how many readers click on the ads on the site and what those ads pay. Suite 101 pays a few cents or fractions of a cent each time into your Paypal account. On top of this you get a bonus, either 10% as a contributing writer or a higher rate if you progress through the system by taking more responsibilities and becoming a Feature Writer or Editor.

Under a Dollar A Day
I have remained as a lowly contributing writer and with about 100 articles, I am currently getting enough money to buy me about four cappuccinos a month - maybe five, if I go to a downmarket coffee shop. Feature writers and above get a little more because they get a higher Suite bonus, but not necessarily much more.

I have basically recycled paid articles which I'd already written for magazines, but nevertheless it's taken a fair bit of time over this past year just to get them into the Suite101 format. Many writers on the forums seem to be getting about the same as me, and some are getting less. Some are getting more. The higher earning people seem to be promoting their sites from elsewhere, and also writing on subjects that attract more readers and the Google ads which pay higher per click than others.

What Are These Golden Subjects?
Suite 101's management is coy about what these "golden" subjects are, but I gather from other writers that they are aspects of technology and finance and money-making. They also have a strong US bias - one popular article recently covered top offers in a large US chain store. These top paying articles are also often promoted from their authors' other (popular) sites.

So What Are Potential Earnings?
One writer I talked with on a forum claimed to be able to pay her mortgage on her earnings, although she didn't say what her mortgage was. Another claimed enough to take a partner out to dinner near her home in rural America. One travel writing colleague of mine claims $100 or so a month earned from several hundred articles. I assume these comments are true, but most writers I have met or read in the forums seemed to be living in great hope of earning more than a few dollars a week.

Against these negligible fees is the fact that the articles have so far kept on earning even when the writers have gone away and done something else. Several professional writers I know say they wrote 100+ articles for Suite101 years ago and then got fed up, but they have continued to get their earnings every month. Suite101's own website says that this is a "long term game."

Software That Screens Out Ads
However, that's not necessarily going to remain so. The advent of software which enables users to screen out ads will, if it becomes sufficiently widespread, remove one of the main planks supporting the whole Suite edifice. As I think I have read somewhere before, "past performance is no guarantee of future success."

So financially, I have to say that unless you already have a huge body of recyclable work, you might well be better off building up a different type of business than devoting time to Suite 101. However, there's more to Suite 101 than this. THe other pros and cons are set out below.

OTHER PROS AND CONS OF WRITING ON SUITE 101

Pros

A. Free Web Writing Tutorial
The website and its editors offer a comprehensive free home tutorial on writing for the web. If, like me, you can't wade your way through all that detailed and boring stuff, you'll find you just have to, otherwise your articles get taken offline. You do learn how to use keywords and Google adwords to the best effect. They also teach you about making "content webs" and they help you structure your articles to make maximum impact.

B. Write About (Nearly) Whatever You Like
You can write about whatever you like (within bounds of decency) and that is liberating and fun. I feel that the owners of certain places have tried very hard to offer top quality and deserve any publicity I can give. Writing these articles gives me a nice warm fuzzy feeling because I think I've done my good deed for the day. I don't think Suite 101 likes you openly plugging your home business, though.

C. Build A Larger Web Presence
If you are aiming to build up a good web presence, then Suite 101 can be a useful tool. If you use it carefully, you can cross refer readers to other things you have written on other sites and build up a "content web" to link all your online material. The most successful Suite 101 writers seem to use their work as part of a larger strategy. Their other outlets cross-refer readers to all their Suite articles.

Cons

1. Formulaic Writing
If you are concerned about your writing style - forget it. You can't write quirky, gripping or literary articles for Suite 101 because of the constraints placed upon you. The articles are written to a rigid formula which, among other things, requires you to repeatedly use your "keywords" at certain points and provide "lead-ins" and "conclusions." These demands can sometimes become ridiculous.

For instance, when I wrote some "trivial pursuit" type articles, they were repeatedly taken offline because I had not provided a "meaty conclusion" summing up the points I had made. Just try writing a trivia quiz and summing up your conclusions in a couple of paragraphs - it's impossible!

Eventually the trivia articles were taken offline because the editor just didn't know how to deal with them, and my work on them went to waste. It was frustrating because they were earning more than my other articles and were not recycled, involving quite a lot of research.

Cog in a Machine

Worse than this, if you care about your writing style, and prize your individual voice, then it can be embarrassing to have all those Suite articles up under your name. You're not allowed to take them down. You are very much a cog in a machine at Suite.

2. Clunky Software
The software for uploading articles is very clunky. Sometimes the text doesn't save properly, or the finished version has layout problems which were not there in the draft. I found that a good deal of my time was spent in going back and fixing sentence run-ons, or type-faces which did not display properly.

3. Bzzz Bzzz....Being A Drone?
Although there are good forums, the chain of command is by no means clear and you are not protected from incompetent editors. There seems to be no dispute resolution process. I suffered a difficult and unreasonable editor at one stage and there seemed no way to deal with him. This reinforced my existing feeling that the magazine was run for those who were at the top, and they had persuaded thousands of people to devote lots of time and effort for free (or almost-free) to making the thing a success. Not surprisingly, they did not want the drones to run the hive.

4. Not Much Professional Recognition
The website promises you "business cards, media passes, PR and free products to review." Most of the PR companies I work with in my "real" writing life either do not know Suite 101 or do not regard it as worthy of consideration. They are rarely interested one way or the other if I offer to write Suite articles, but if I do offer, they want these as well as a piece for a magazine or newspaper.

Conclusion

For a novice writer it could be worth having a go. At least you get something, even if it is only enough to keep you in chewing gum - and at least your material gets read.

Likewise, if you can be bothered to spend the time building up an article body, Suite 101 could help you widen your presence on the web - although there may be better ways of doing this.

If you are a professional, it is probably not worth bothering unless you can recycle. All but two of the professional writers I have spoken to about Suite 101 have given it up because they ultimately felt they were losing more time than they gained money. Most professionals follow Dr. Johnson's advice and only write for money. Unless times are truly hard, the time we spend on Suite101 articles, however easy they may be to write, is money in which we could be writing proper paid stuff that we can be proud of

Indeed, if you already have a professional reputation, you may like to consider whether writing on a click-per-view site will really enhance it.

The solitary pro I know who continues full steam ahead on Suite has been running down the "real" writing activities and wants to build up enough Suite 101 articles to help finances in their old age. I hope it works (the person is a wonderful writer) but I feel they're relying overly on the model continuing to be workable and do as well as it has done in the past.

Jam Tomorrow...

Or, as Lewis Carroll would have said (and in fact, did almost say) : "Jam tomorrow, jam yesterday, but rarely much jam today!"





26 October 2010
Gave a talk to the Daresbury Lewis Carroll society last weekend, and afterwards I was approached by a local lady whose family own land very near the birthplace and had done so for generations. She picked up on a point I made, that Carroll’s childhood had been very remote and cut off from the world. Based on her own family's history and her knowledge of the area, she added that the Dodgsons would have been isolated even from the surrounding farmers, who were almost their only near neighbours, because they were not part of the farming community themselves. Given the rigid social structures of the day, it is entirely possible that the little Dodgsons were not even allowed to play with farmers’ children, so it’s just as well there were ten of them!

The following day, Keith and Liz took me to see Lewis Carroll’s birthplace in Morphany Lane, about a mile outside Daresbury village.

null

I hadn’t been for several years and thought it was much improved. The foundations of the parsonage where he spent his first eleven years are marked out, and have now been surrounded by a nice wrought iron fence showing ears of corn – a reference to the

“…island farm midst seas of corn, that happy spot where I was born.”

null

And the entrance to the house is marked by an arch which echoes the archway that led into the original house. This ironwork gives a much better impression of the now vanished parsonage, which burned down in the 1880s, some years after the Dodgsons left.

I was, as before, struck by how tiny the floor plan of the house was. It must have been a tremendous squash with ten children, plus servants. I am not aware of any information about how it was organised, but I imagine the young Charles would have had to share a bedroom with several other siblings – when they moved to Croft he was given his own room.

Here is the view from the front of the house.

null

Here’s another attractive wrought iron feature: the well cover, featuring a Dormouse. The family had a private water supply, which may have helped protect them from the cholera which was rampant during CLD’s childhood.
null

We then went on to the nearby Davenport’s farm shop, which has a great tea room, and a little garden out the back.

This way to the tearoom

It was too cold to go into the garden. Actually, I was tempted by the sunny, cottagey interior of the main tearoom, and slightly disappointed to find that the Alice in Wonderland tea room was at the back of the shop. Still, it overlooked the garden, and not everyone is quite as keen on sitting in the sun as me. As well as the lacy teacloths and old fashioned chairs, etc. it was decorated with ches sets, paintings, photos, a clock in the shape of a pocket-watch and with Alice collectables over the door.

null

I took a picture just after it had opened in the morning, and wish now that I had photographed us having tea there, and also that I’d got a shot of some of the unusual and interesting cakes. But I did snap a couple of pages from the menu which shows that the café makes a feature of its teas.

Menu

And I bought some home made bread and a bunch of earthy carrots from the fruit on sale outside - there were also some excellent looking apples, but I'm already swamped with them!.

null

The Davenport's website has a very interesting history of the business. One of the owners, Belinda is a longtime fan. She and other local people had been rather keen on the idea of creating a Lewis Carroll attraction in Walton Hall.

Walton Hall

This is a neo Elizabethan mansion, one of the few places where the Dodgson family used to pay social visits during Carroll’s youth. It was one of the places he photographed when he revisited Daresbury on a photographic tour in around 1860, so it was clearly important to him. The local council, which owns it, has been trying to sell it to a local developer, and last I heard there was some controversy about its future.

It became obvious to me that not enough is being done to promote Daresbury’s links with Carroll, and some imaginative thinking is certainly needed. Daresbury’s conference venue, the Daresbury Park hotel, http://www.devere.co.uk/our-locations/daresbury-park.html is modern but extremely corporate and has covered up what many people told me was a lovely tiled Alice mural – presumably it doesn’t fit with the “image” they wish to convey.

The village pub, the Ring O’Bells, is more Alice-themed, and a nice welcoming place.

null

It doesn’t have any public meeting rooms, though. Perhaps when Daresbury church gets its long awaited extension, things will come together more.

The church was rebuilt after Carroll’s time although the ancient tower will still be as he recalls it. I looked in just before a family church service was about to start. The church was packed, and the bellringers were hard at work inside the tower. With the golden autumnal leaves of the surrounding trees, it was all so … well… so English.

We then went on to Little Moreton Hall, where Liz is a National Trust volunteer. It’s a jewel of a black-and-white building, and of course Liz gave us the best tour that anyone had that day. I don’t know if Carroll ever visited Little Moreton Hall – probably not, since it might have been a farm in his day. My old schoolfriend Penny White, who lives in Chester, managed to make it there too, which made it even more fun for me.

Here's a view of its lichen-covered roof, taken from one of the top windows.

null

Back in Daresbury, Keith pointed out a rather undistinguished modern bungalow near the parsonage site. When we got back to his house, he showed me what it had replaced – a fabulous black and white hall, very similar in style to Little Moreton, although smaller. It too had been used as a farm, and had become quite run down when it was demolished sometime in the 1960s.

By the time I caught the train back to London, I had plenty to think about, and felt I’d had a really good trip. And we did enjoy the carrots!








16 November 2010
The trip to New York was great and so was the LCSNA meeting. It was in the NY INstitute of Technology, where Edward Giuliano, a noted Lewis Carroll student and writer, is a big wheel. It was the first time I'd met him in person, and we had a very interesting chat aftewards about the provenance of the Wasp in a Wig. I've always been bothered that there essentially isn't one - and it looks as if it will never be revealed.

To be honest, the first bit of the meeting slightly passed me by, as I was mentally going over the talk, So the brilliance of New Yorker columnist Adam Gopnik, which was mentioned afterwards by several people, didn't make much of an impression, unfortunately.

When it came to giving the talk itself, though, I rather enjoyed it.

At the podium

It was good to see some familiar faces, like the Imholzes, and to meet Adam Tannenbaum for the first time.

First time meeting Alan Tannenbaum
I signed copies of the book - Barnes and Noble were in attendance, and they seemed to sell most of them. Buyers also materialised for all the copies of Lewis Carroll in his Own Account which I had brought along in my luggage.

Book signing

At the book signing I also had my first real life meeting with Mahendra Singh, who was signing his brilliant Snark book (no - that's not him - either of them)

Andrew Sellon, retiring LCSNA
president, was presented with a very nice pen and real ink, so he can carry on raving at his writing desk - not an original remark :)

Andrew Sellon

All in all, it was a good humoured, truly nice affair, and afterwards, we all went off to Josephina's restaurant nearby, and relaxed. Here I am sitting with Amy and Erin. Erin, at 16, is probably the youngest LCSNA member - and really, really bright.

At Josephina's


11 October 2012
null

Yoshi in Japan often sends me interesting pieces of Japanese Alice ephemera.He also sent a collection of lovely cards of Totoro, who is one of my favourite cartoon characters - here is one of them, above. I like all the Studio Ghibli movies.

I was looking through the Alice ephemera the other day and there are some that I have not posted. So here they are.

null

This one is a soft toy in the shape of Alice with her long neck. It's signed on the back. Many of the items that Yoshi sends are signed.

null

I very much like the clock

null

and the cakes

null

and I don't know why I didn't post them before.



07 August 2008
Nearly a year ago, I wrote : "I've been writing on and off for something called Suite 101 and then continued:

"If you read them, click on some of the ad links for me. This is the way we are supposed to make money, although I am told that you don't make much, and I certainly haven't made any so far, although the stats say that I have accumulated the princely sum of $6.... "

Here a post-script to this. If people are inclined to click through the ads on a friend's page- don't. If Google detects (or thinks it detects) ad fraud, it gets very heavy. Perfectly fair, and I should have thought of that - duh.

Anyway Suite 101 doesn't offer the writer any chance to explain, deal with or change if Google objects to the pattern of clicks. It simply removes all the writer's articles, immediately and permanently, with no procedure for arbitration. This happened to me. Apparently many writers were wiped at the same time as me, in a sort of purge, and didn't know why. Perhaps their friends had clicked their page ads. Some of them were terribly upset to lose all the work they had done in anticipation of future earnings.

For me it was not an unhappy ending. I had become embarrassed about my articles - formulaic, hack and rigidly constrained. I didn't become a writer to do that. Editors I hoped to interest in my writing skills were googling me and coming up with this stuff - but I could not get them off line.

In this, as in other ways, the writer for Suite 101 has no real control.




11 January 2011
Toy Theatres for Sale

At the 2010 LCS Party at the Art Workers Guild , I picked up a leaflet for Joe Gladwin's performance of "Cinderella" on the toy theatre, in aid of the Pollock's Toy Museum Trust. (and above is a picture of the little stall they had there, selling all kinds of things to interest people who are interested in old toys)

So of course I booked tickets.

I expect Lewis Carroll would have done the same. He was a huge fan of toy theatres and in fact wrote plays for the little theatre which he helped to make in order to entertain his younger brothers and sisters in the rectory in Croft on Tees. It is probably true to say that his passion for this tiny theatre predisposed him to love the grown-up theatre, later in his life.

We loved our outing. Our party included adults and children (9 and 5) and we were all amazed at how charming and entertaining a toy theatre performance can be, even in today's world of electronic entertainment. Of course a lot depends on the operator, and Joe Gladwin is a real puppet theatre pro (take a look at his website). He operated the music, scene changes, all the different voices with enormous skill, keeping the audience gripped the whole time.

The performance took place in a darkened room with only a row of candles before the stage, although the theatre itself was illuminated by electricity. Cinderella's coach and the castle seemed truly magical, as did the Fairy Godmother. Here's a blurry picture of her giving her prologue - sadly, the light from my digital camera screen was extremely noticeable in the darkened auditorium so I decided not to spoil everyone's fun by taking too many photos.

The Fairy Godmother's Prologue

There was also a "slap up tea" promised, and this in fact turned out to be wonderful, with lots of home made cakes and, of course, cucumber sandwiches - surely indispensable in an English slap-up tea!

We discovered that some of the audience members were also interested in old magic lanterns. Vanessa of London Dreamtime was asking around, and she clearly has some kind of an idea for a future project to do with model theatres, magic lanterns and perhaps Pearly Kings and Queens.

Oh, and here is a picture of the theatre from the side, showing the grooves in which the scenery and the cut-out actors move. Incredibly difficult, unless you're someone with the skills of Joe Gladwin - or, presumably, Lewis Carroll.

Side view of the toy theatre
01 January 2010
Went to the sales in the West End of London. Yes, it was raining

null

Among the bargains on offer were two Christmas tree ornaments - Alice and the Queen of Hearts. Here they are seen together in a box of bargains at Foyles famous bookshop in Charing Cross Road with "reduced" labels attached. Poor Alice.

null
03 September 2008
Writing a biography has made me think about the whole process of biography writing. It feels strange to be setting myself up as an authority on someone else! I'd never do it even about a member of my own family. It's even harder when the subject is dead, and nobody is alive who can say if I'm right or wrong.

The more I pore over the documents, the more I recognise how Carroll approached life himself. He was very good at showing people just enough to enable them to jump to their own conclusions. He didn't put them right if they were wrong, but he never seems to have actually told lies. He was also very clever and very secretive. Knowing a bit about how his mind worked enables me to form hypotheses about hitherto mysterious events in his life, and I can then check them against facts that do exist.

I've written another little piece about him on Suite101 - this time about his games, riddles and puzzles.
12 October 2008
The White Rabbit in Venice.

I've just spend a few days in Italy. In Venice, I decided to see how soon I could spot an "Alice" reference. There were innumerable carnival masks and amazing glass objets d'art in the shops but it didn't take long to spot a small White Rabbit coyly hiding amidst glass thimbles and masks.
03 October 2008
Nigel of Bermondsey wrote some Lewis Carroll music which I'm going to put on here as soon as I can figure out how. Meanwhile, here's some of his music.

He has been having some friendly talks about music with Barry Albin Dyer of funeral directors F.A. Albin & Sons. As anyone who has watched the TV programmes knows, Barry's funerals aren't like anyone else's and he's very much part of the Bermondsey scene.

Vanessa is writing stories set in Bermondsey. If she'd only stop saying they were for kids, I reckon she would find someone to publish them. I love them. Bermondsey is an amazing place with a very long, very rich and very fascinating history. I'm hoping the yuppies don't squeeze out everything historical and tough and raw and interesting and turn it into endless luxury flats which could be anywhere from Miami to Helsinki.

I don't think Lewis Carroll ever visited Bermondsey, or, at least, if he did, he never said. A bit too rough for him, I expect.
28 August 2008
In idle moments (not that I have many at present) I like to photoshop locations for various scenes out of Carroll. This is my idea of the house which has the Mad Tea Party in its back garden. It has no artistic pretensions but I have fun doing these things. It's based on a real house but I've moved windows around, changed the surroundings and added chimneys from the House in the Clouds at Thorpeness, which must be one of the oddest villages in Britain (link here)

The March Hare's House
18 October 2009
null

Got a little travel story assignment to Cologne, Germany, next December. This is one of the places Carroll visited on his only trip abroad, in 1867. He was holidaying with his pious friend H.P. Liddon and so they spent a lot of time going round churches. When Carroll was on his own he spent more time looking at people, customs and curiosities, and going shopping. Just couldn't be as serious as Liddon. But he was really overcome at the cathedral. He said in his diary that "...We spent about an hour in the cathedral, which I will not attempt to describe further than by saying it was the most beautiful of all churches I have ever seen, or can imagine. If one could imagine the spirit of devotion embodied in any material form, it would be in such a building."

Interesting to contrast his diary with that of Liddon, on the same trip. "Dodgson was overcome by the beauty of Cologne Cathedral. I found him leaning against the rails of the Choir and sobbing like a child. When the verger came to show us over the chapels behind the Choir, he got out of the way, he said that he could not bear the harsh voice of the man in the presence of so much beauty."

Liddon's notes can be read in Edward Wakeling's exhaustively annotated "Lewis Carroll's Diaries", Vol 5. Reading between the lines, Carroll was an emotional, somewhat disorganised companion, not unlike a pleasant boy of about 12 - but he also sounds like a lively, easy going and long suffering traveller, prepared to put up with lack of sleep, discomfort and general aggravation with a smile.

Wonder why he didn't do more travelling. The year after the European trip, his father died, and the weight of looking after his ten brothers and sisters fell onto Carroll's shoulders. Perhaps he didn't have either the time or the money, after that.

I'll be interested to note my own reactions to Cologne Cathedral.
18 October 2012
Disoriented

Alice in Wonderland Syndrome is a name given to a medical condition involving memory loss, disorientation, feeling you have changed in size and other symptoms. It is thought to be a form of migraine, although epileptics can also display similar symptoms.

The syndrome is not always as severe as what is described in this link, but many people think that Lewis Carroll might have had experiences with migraine and.or epilepsy which encouraged him to write about Alice changing her size, and so on.

In "The Mystery of Lewis Carroll" I cover what is known of this issue, and discussed the matter with a consultant neurologist - but I was left with the strong impression that it is very hard to diagnose people after they are dead!

The article interested me though, and I was very sorry for the poor woman described, who seems to have had far worse symptoms than Alice ever had.


18 October 2015

As part of Alice150, there's an exhibition of Alice related art work and crafts in Tokyo with contributions from 24 artists. Lots of fun work here - I liked these Cheshire cats (click the link and you will see more.) ... but hurry, it's only on until 27 October!
It's at Irias, 2-9-12-1F-B Yanaka,
Taito-ku, Tokyo 110-0001 Japan

07 October 2010
null

As I’ve said elsewhere on this site, Tony and I transcribed, printed and published Lewis Carroll's private bank account in 2005. With the unstinted help of Edward Wakeling, who is always so willing to assist those with an interest in Lewis Carroll, I tracked down many of the people mentioned in the account. Some of them were mentioned in the letters and diaries, and some were not.

Working slowly through the mass of figures and names, a picture of a real human being emerged. A man who paid his washerwoman and entertained friends well, who contributed to things he felt strongly about, a man who cared about his faith and above all, who was deeply and constantly involved with his family. And, let it be said, a man who by no means wrote everything that happened in his life, into his diary! It was this research which gave me the idea of writing a biography which would above all show Lewis Carroll as a real person.

We published a small edition of the account book because we didn't think that a mass of figures would appeal to the general public. In fact we did miscalculate and the book sold out more quickly than we expected.

For a couple of years after we sold out, secondhand copies appeared occasionally on Amazon. When they all disappeared, and when one priced at some utterly outrageous figure also got sold, and we still continued to get orders from wholesalers, we decided it was time for a small reprint.- and here it is.

I decided to update the original, and was amazed how much more information has trickled in - I'd thought it would only be a matter of altering a few lines! In the end, after days more work, we decided to call this a "Revised edition" because that is what it is.

Print prices have gone up meanwhile, so the price is a couple of pounds higher than the 2005 original, but since our aim was always to get the information out there rather than make a profit, we have tried to keep the price reasonable for such a quantity of privately funded work.

Looking back, I suppose I should have tried to get funding, since the research involved considerable mileage between London and Manchester, and overnight accommodation on several occasions. But when we started, we never anticipated that it could grow the way it did.

And at least this way the project is all ours.!

10 October 2010
null

All sounds very nerdy but I subscribe to Google Alerts, which flags every new reference to the book. It's saying now that Amazon.com (the US site) only has one copy of "The Mystery of Lewis Carroll" left in stock. (They've ordered more.) It also shows it's currently #3 in books by and about Lewis Carroll, and #24 in British 19th Cent. Literature & Fiction.

Mostly I've stopped looking at these rankings, because they are constantly changing, but one can develop a nerdy fascination with how the book is going up and down.

The main problem at present is how to get "LC in his Own Account" onto Amazon.com. It's listed on the UK site as being available internationally, but not sure how foreign customers are supposed to know this if it doesn't come up on their country's site. Seems that Amazon could be missing a trick here.

The picture above is to prove I'm NOT NOT NOT a nerd. It's Wallpaper* magazine's illustration for its "Istancool" feature. I once went to an event at Wallpaper* and it was fun but the people were almost too cool to speak.




14 October 2010
null

Was clearing out some old files and came across the following story about Charles Babbage, inventor of the calculating machine. Lewis Carroll of course met both Tennyson and Babbage - I wonder which one he felt more at home with? I suspect Babbage, as Tennyson sounds as if he might have been a rather difficult person to get along with.

"The English mathematician Charles Babbage, who conceived programmable
computation, wrote to the young poet Tennyson. "In your otherwise
beautiful poem," he said, "one verse reads,

Every moment dies a man,
Every moment one is born.

" ... If this were true," he went on, "the population of the world
would be at a standstill. In truth, the rate of birth is slightly in
excess of that of death. I would suggest [that the next edition of
your poem should read]:"

Every moment dies a man,
Every moment 1 1/16 is born.

"Strictly speaking," Babbage added, "the actual figure is so long I
cannot get it into a line, but I believe the figure 1 1/16 will be
sufficiently accurate for poetry."

The picture by the way shows Babbage.

13 October 2011
<br />
Tweedles)%<br />
<br />
Tweedledum and Tweededee, above, do remind me of someone.  Twin Tory politicians, perhaps?  Oh dear, I've never been much good at putting names to faces. <br />
<br />
Anyway, the Tweedles adorn an invitation I've received to a private view of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Vernon_Lord">John Vernon Lord's </a>"Alice Through the Looking Glass, "  at the <a href="http://www.illustrationcupboard.com/default_flash.aspx">Illustration Cupboard </a>in London.   This distinguished illustrator has a love of fantasy and nonsense and his book work includes "Alice in Wonderland" and "Hunting of the Snark" as well as works by Edward Lear and fairy tales from all over the world  - I specially like his Icelandic Sagas. <br />
<br />
The date and time for the private view is not that convenient for me, but if I do get along, I'll ask him to autograph my invitation, and ask him who the Tweedles are modelled upon.   <br />
<br />
And, whether I go to the view or not, I will make time to go to the exhibition of his wok. It runs from <b>18 October - 5 November </b>and the address of the Illustration Cupboard is 22 Bury Street, St. James's, Londno SW1Y lAL.  (Follow them on Twitter at @illustrationcup. )  It's a fantastic place and a must-see for anyone interested in contemporary children's book illustration. <br />
<br />
Oh, and here's a selection of the works that will be on display - <a href="http://www.illustrationcupboard.com/exhibition_illustrations.aspx?eId=169&amp;ePage=0">click the link</a
27 October 2017
null

I've been wondering to myself how the Blue-Ginger Gallery in Malvern got its name. I'd never heard of it until I heard about their Alice exhibition (which began on 21 October and runs till 27 November).

On checking it out, I found that some fun events are coming up in November. On 6 November there's a talk by illustrator John Vernon Lord with an introduction from Mark Richards, ex Chairman of the LCS. (Unfortunately I was unable to publicise a whole talk by Mark on the 21st October, but it's taken me this long to fix technical problems with the website)! JOhn Vernon Lord's talk will include a drink and tea with the Mad Hatter - I'm not sure if that means a drink of tea but I suspect the tea is "extra."

You can needlefelt a Dormouse in a teacup, and make Alice themed silver jewellery in two further workshops, on 11 and 19 September respectively. Full details of how to book are here.

Some interesting artists represented at the exhibition include Tamsin Abbott, Mike Abbott, Graham Arnold, Eleanor Bartleman, Sue Carr, Annie Ovenden, Hannah Willow, Jo Verity, Carol James, Mollie Meager, Jo Dewar, Mariette Voke, Janis Waldron, Gen Belgard, Sue Brown, Karin Celestine, Jemima Jameson, Sue Williams, Sasha Rae, Maggie Hobbs, Gwen Vaughan, Rachel Padley, Heather Sweet-Moon, Ben Willis, Dave Cockroft and John Coombe

I particularly like Tamsin Abbott's work. She's very busy and isn't taking commissions at present, but has done some wonderful stained glass work which can be seen on her website here.

And that's one of her images at the top of this post.
12 May 2017
null

A few weeks ago I went to see Alice's Adventures Underground, in the Vaults beneath London's Waterloo station. This promenade performance is a tidied up version of a show that was a smash hit in 2015 (see reviews here and here)

null

This time round, some effort has been made to insert a plot - no easy task when the point of the performance is to make sure that you never have the same experience twice. Audiences of some 50-odd are cleverly split into groups of no more than 14, each weaving their way in a kind of intricate choreography through a maze of sets ranging from the Gardeners' potting shed (full of red paint, of course) to the Duchess's crazy kitchen, with much more besides - the Caterpillar's shisha lounge, for instance, or weedledum and Tweedledee flying overhead as alarmingly as any Monstrous Crow, while arguing all the time...

I found it hard to follow the plot, but it really didn't matter at all. The whole experience is pretty psychedelic, so it's best to go with the flow - or, turn on, tune in and drop out. As for Alice, she was hardly to be seen, except for a few glimpses in mirrors, and a dancing figure on a zoetrope, and an unexpected appearance at the very end, just before the entire trial scene shut itself up like a pack of cards.

It's a clever, amazing experience, best for those who are fairly active and reasonably sober (you wait in a bar beforehand, and emerge into a cocktail lounge/games room at the very end.) The surfaces are rough and constantly changing, there are flights of stairs and rubber floors and narrow, awkward tunnels. No photos are allowed during the performance - not that there is really time to take any - but here are some of the photos I took in the bar. I left out the ones of me playing flamingo croquet or downing cocktails!

null

If you want to go, head over to this website and click the big green door. The little door leads to a different show aimed at kids - and that looks fun too. Tickets are from £39, a reasonable price for such an elaborate, immersive experience with such a multi talented cast.


14 March 2020
null

We went to see Tim Walker's photography show "Wonderful Things" at the V & A museum the other day. Walker really stretches boundaries and is one of the most imaginative photographers working right now. He's specially well known for his spectacular fashion shoots in "Vogue," but the show also included many personal projects, which I found even more interesting after I had read his own accounts of how he came to conceive and create them. His work may seem alive and full of movement, but it is the opposite of spontaneous, and relies on often gigantic and elaborate sets and truly surreal props.

So Walker's just the person to do an "Alice" project, you'd think; specially since in the introduction to the show he actually mentions Wonderland. I was surprised to spot only one definitely Alice-themed photograph (above). When I looked up his website afterwards, though, I found a whole group of "Alice" themed pictures, in a different style. They are images numbers 7-15 on this website carousel.

The "Alice" iconography is so familiar and so many artists have tackled the book that it must be frustrating to try and create anything wholly original. Since extreme originality is one of Walker's main characteristics, I don't feel these Alice pictures are among his most typical images, although I don't think I ever saw black or white models used to represent the chess set...

Oh, come to think of it, perhaps I should go back and look a bit harder...
19 January 2019
There's been a problem with my blog, and I haven't been able to upload photos for a while. Now it's fixed and I can put up these "Alice" postcards, sent by my friend Yoshi from Japan. They're in a set called "Alice Tea Party" by the artist Tomomi Hasegawa. I like them all but my favourite picture is the first, where Alice is surrounded by butterflies. All the pictures are done in a typical modern Japanese style, with Alice looking serious and thoughtful.

null

null

null

null

null

null

And Ms Hasegawa signed one of the postcards on the back with a White Rabbit. It seems to me that every character in "Alice" has a very distinct personality. My favourite is probably the surprising and elusive Cheshire Cat, and I think the White Rabbit is Yoshi's favourite - he didn't tell me why.

null

I wondered if she's done any more "Alice" pictures.

12 February 2019
I was surprised to receive this from Yoshi! Usually he sends me Lewis Carroll material, but this is a copy of "My Family and Other Animals" in Japanese! Thank you Yoshi!

null


11 July 2019
A fantastic exhibition at the V & A Museum has just been announced for next year. "Wonderland," from ACMI, Melbourne, explores how Alice inspired revolutionary film-making, groundbreaking special effects and animation, evocative storytelling and technological development and offers visitors an original, immersive trip into "worlds within worlds within worlds." It runs at the V & A from June 2020 to 10 January 2021. If you're an Alice fan and thinking of visiting London next year, you might like to build it into your schedule! Take a look!
https://youtu.be/qbYnlXDPMcc
03 August 2019
null

I'm sorry that I've had some problems with posting here. While I was waiting for it to be fixed, my friend Yoshi Momma from Japan sent me a wonderful book, one of my favourite Alice illustrated books. It's a signed Japanese version of "Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass" illustrated by the amazing artist Shuji Tateishi. I'm posting a selection of my favourite illustrations, together with the cover. My favourite images are not really of Alice herself, but of cats - Dinah (of course) and the Cheshire Cat, but I am also posting some other images of parts of the stories that you will recognise.

What makes these pictures so good is their originality. Most illustrators in some way refer back to Tenniel - but not in this case. Mr. Tateishi has approached the story in a really fresh and original way, referring to Lewis Carroll's photography for instance in this image of the Cheshire Cat...
The cat gradually appears and disappears, like a photographic image in the darkroom.

null

The Cheshire Cat's smile is as mysterious as Mona Lisa...

null

Here, in the Frog Footman scene, we see how the letter and the stamp create a vintage impression.

null

But Mr. Tateishi hasn't used a Victorian stamp, he has in fact given his images a British 1940s/50s flavour. I'd love to know if he first saw Alice in a 1940s illustrated book!

Here is the kitten, Dinah, who represents a pawn - the smallest, humblest character in Alice's household.

null

And I like the Mad Gardeners.

null

Edward Wakeling, who is probably THE world expert on Lewis Carroll, said he thought this book was "absolutely gorgeous....I have not seen better illustrations for a long time." He describes examining them for 45 minutes on first getting the book, and then, he says, he returned and examined them again for a further hour! I too have found myself looking at them again and again and I hope also that these pictures will soon appear illustrating an English language version of the "Alice" books.

Many thanks again to Yoshi!

null

The book, by the way, is published in Japan, by Seidosha, and dated 2019.

22 November 2019


I had never expected to find Alice featuring in political graffiti in Iraq, but her appearance in hand-painted graffiti on a subway in Baghdad is eye catching. Some people in Iraq feel that after recent events, the old political system is no longer an option. They feel as if they are lost in Wonderland.

I wonder what Lewis Carroll would have thought.
05 January 2020
null

I subscribe to a tourist newsletter from Wales and noticed in the latest edition that Llandudno has finally woken up to the tourist value of its "Alice in Wonderland" connections. Click here for information about an augmented reality town trail featuring the characters in appropriate locations. If you're an Alice fan heading for that part of Wales it's worth checking out. (Actually, I couldn't find the app on the Google Play link, but that might be a temporary glitch. )

It's not clear if Carroll ever got to Llandudno, though it's thought he probably did. If so, he's very likely to have visited or even stayed in "Penmorfa," the holiday home that Dr. Liddell built for his family, and where Alice and her family most certainly did stay, often. "Penmorfa" later became a hotel (shown below), but unfortunately, despite the fact that it was the obvious centrepiece for any Alice trail, it was demolished in 2008, amidst many local protests, to make way for apartments, or so it was said. However no apartments were ever built, and the site has lain derelict for 10 years as an eyesore. in late Spring 2019 Anwyl Construction, who demolished the house, were reported to be submitting new plans. I don't know if they have yet, couldn't find any updates. Actually from this piece, it sounds as if there might be some doubt about it, at least from the Llandudno folk who have commented on it.

null


24 January 2020
I was always in love with Kermit the Frog, and so VERY happy to find this on Youtube. Enjoy!!!!


04 February 2020
null

I've always thought that Lewis Carroll was essentially a story-teller rather than a writer. All the evidence suggests that his best work was done for an audience, real or imaginary. He wrote both "Alice" books when he felt exceptionally lonely, sad and stressed. They evoke happier times when he had expressed his thoughts and ideas to a sympathetic audience who loved him undemandingly and understood what he was trying to say.

Although he had many good male friends and was close to many male relatives, he seems to have valued the company of women and girls rather more than the company of boys and men. The social customs at the time made it difficult for him to become close to women as a young man, but once he reached late middle age he spent most of his spare time with women. He suffered from bouts of severe depression, and his treasured collection of little girl friends late in life, (which was considered really amusing by some who knew him) was recognised by his family as one of the ways he coped with the depression. Their visits and letters indicated that they loved and genuinely wanted his company.

The modern idea of "empowerment" of women and girls was long in the future in the 1860s and 1870s. But one reason that so many girls liked (and still like) "Alice" was because Carroll portrayed this seven year old girl with such personal respect. This was at a time when adult women were considered frail, weak, hysterical, and not capable of running their own affairs- and children were seen as creatures to be socially trained and their opinions and feelings were generally completely disregarded. Alice, though only 7, was strong, determined and had the confidence of youth, aiming to deal sensibly with whatever was thrown at her, even when she was scared, baffled and worried. A similar empowering approach is shown in this story Carroll told to little Mary Watson in 1871, (the same year as he wrote "Looking Glass.") In this new take on the "Three Little Pigs," Mary, though very young, calmly plans how to outwit the evil and frightening fox. It's fortunate that Mary Watson saved the pictures which he sketched to accompany his story. They are shown above and the text is here.
28 February 2020
null
Today Google's Doodle features John Tenniel, who did the famous original illustrations for the Alice books. Tenniel, who became the principal political cartoonist of "PUNCH" magazine, was born on the 28 February 1820. He seems to have been a quiet, retiring and somewhat introverted man - long suffering, too, if an anecdote about his youth is to be believed. It seems that his father was a dancing and fencing master, who taught his son to fence. When he was 20, Tenniel was fencing with his father when his father accidently hit his eye with the tip of his foil. Tenniel never told his father that his eyesight had been permanently damaged by the accident, because he did not want to upset him.

He indicated that he found it a strain to work with Lewis Carroll because Carroll was so demanding. In fact, after illustrating "Wonderland" Tenniel actually refused to illustrate "Looking Glass," to Carroll's dismay... I wonder how Carroll persuaded him to change his mind.


02 July 2018
As I've said before, Alice is very popular in Japan. If you're learning Japanese, "Alice in Kanji Land" has been recommended to me by a Japanese learner as very good resource. It takes an original and creative approach to the difficult business of learning the Chinese characters which in Japan are known as kanji .

But who is the author? "Cure Dolly," a cartoon avatar, is really - well, er who ....? or what? Hey, I don't know who "Cure Dolly" might be!

You decide :)

null
21 March 2021
I always wonder why editors commission particular illustrators for new editions of "Alice," which are coming out all the time. I quite like these pictures by Andrea d'Aquino, a New York-based artist who works a lot for the US press. They have a mysterious, dreamlike feeling, although they don't convey any of the cleverness and sharpness of the book, which are a large part of its attraction for me.

What do you think?

null

Here are some more of the pictures.

null null

null

The truth seems to me that Alice is all things to all people.



27 March 2021
Yes, I think I could handle it if some kind person gave me an "Alice's Wonderland Drink Me" hamper from the Cheshire Cheese Company. This company is, of course, based in Cheshire, and it has always been well aware of the Lewis Carroll link. Close readers of "Wonderland" will know that Alice is offered a glass of wine at the Mad Tea Party, and, in fact, upper class Victorian children were often allowed to drink wine and spirits if their parents did so, although I don't know if Alice and her siblings were.

Anyway, the hamper contains 9 x 200g waxed truckles of cheese in various flavours (Old Hag Ale & Mustard Cheddar Cheese, Caramelised onion & Rioja, gin & lemon Cheshire cheese, El Gringo chilli lime & tequila, Irish Whiskey & stem ginger among them) 3 mixed packets of specialist biscuits for cheese, a bottle of Prosecco, a bottle of Ribshack red wine and a miniature Cheshire Gin No.7, plus a free gift from Alice of 3 decorative miniature wooden mice. Alice has also apparently added a free Cheshire Cheese Club membership card, although I'd have thought you'd have had enough cheese there to last you the rest of the year.

There's apparently also a Mad Hatter non alcoholic hamper, featuring Mad Hatter Tea, which I can vouch for as really delicious tea. But in this case, I think I would stick to the wine, and I'd guess Lewis Carroll would have done so too, as he is known to have liked a glass or two of wine. In fact, he even had the duty of keeping the members' wine cellar for a while - not a bad little task.

null
21 April 2021
null

My friend Yoshi sent me another beautiful item created by well known Japanese illustrator Takako Hirai. It's called "Alice Alice Alice" and pulls together some of her cute postcards and other Alice drawings, together with some images that I haven't seen before.

Here, the White Rabbit's House is a 1930s villa growing like a rose on a very tidy rosebush - quite appropriate, as this is the sort of house I always associate with neatly tended gardens of roses.

null

Lewis Carroll's actress friend Isa Bowman said that the most mysterious and thrilling parts of the stories he told to children often included a wood. Here the woodland theme is integrated with the playing cards which fascinate Takako Hirai. The leaves are made of clubs, hearts, spades and diamonds, with a tiny white rabbit tumbling out of the cascade.

null

Of course I loved the title page with its nice message from Takako to me.

null

The little teapot opposite was almost my favourite picture of all. The Mad Hatter calls out of the window with a towering plate of buns, the Cheshire Cat sits on the saucer, as the whole thing sails through the air looking as if catastrophe will hit any minute - though you can be totally sure it won't.

null

Endpapers are often forgotten in picture books, but here, the endpapers have tiny characters marching about endlessly amidst the magical leaves, in a very Victorian style of design. Maybe one day Takako will create wallpaper like this: I think it has possibilities.

null

I wish I could show all the many pictures, but, as the Mad Hatter said, "No Room, No Room!" and in any case, the book is so beautifully produced it deserves to be seen in real life. I'm really grateful to Yoshi for this lovely addition to my little collection of illustrated "Alice" books.
27 April 2021
I just discovered this Japanese TV version of "Alice in Wonderland" from 1986. I've never seen it before and didn't even know it existed! This version is not subtitled in English but don't you love how it's put Alice in a Japanese context? I think it's great.


04 September 2021
null

Finally, I managed to see "Curiouser and Curiouser" , the V & A's major exhibition on "Alice" - in particular the evolution of the story from a manuscript to a global phenomenon.

It's been eagerly awaited by Alice fans, but most of the time it was on last year, Britain was in lockdown and the museum was either closed, or had very restricted opening. Even after they extended the show, it was hard to go during the earlier part of this year. Tickets are in high demand, and we had to book here at 12 noon sharp on a Tuesday to be sure of getting in!

Anyone who has watched this "Secrets of the Museum" episode on the BBC will know how much trouble went into creating a Mad Tea Party for the exhibition. Animated film was used to create and change colours and patterns on the table,crockery and tablecloth (which swooshed up and spread out like a banner.)

null

null

Alongside the animation was a clip from Jonathan Miller's BBC "Alice in Wonderland" film. This film uses many top actors and has a wonderful Gothic atmosphere. Unfortunately, though, Miller demanded a strange performance from the actor who portrayed Alice, in which the poor girl was supposed to represent a blank space in which the viewer could project themselves. It can't have been much fun for her to play. Here's a clip to give you the general atmosphere..



Anyway, when the clip from the film has finished, the teaparty begins to change colour and apparently come to life. It is worth checking on Youtube to see whether anyone has put a film of this on. Certainly many people were filming it when I was there.

The teaparty is one of the big setpieces, but since I'm most interested in Lewis Carroll as a person, I liked the parts which cast light on him and his world. (I noticed that this was also the section that had most people lingering and examining the exhibits carefully.) There are too many to mention but they include a dodo skeleton, and lesser known bits of Carrollania, as well as toys and small objects inspired by the book, such as this little cut out scene spied through a hole in one of the doors. It is, of course, the wondrous garden which Alice glimpses through the tiny door when she is shut in the hallway.

null

There are also sketches which Carroll apparently did for his own illustrations of the handwritten version of the story which he gave to Alice Liddell herself, and a set of cards for the game of "Ways and Means" which he created in his youth to amuse his many brothers and sisters. I like the card showing the young man representing "The Friend" although the resigned looking cat also makes me smile.

null

I had hoped that someone might have made up a replica of this game to sell in the gift shop, as I'd have liked to know how it was played, but that wasn't the case.

I also liked a paper panorama of Humpty Dumpty's story which the Dodgson children played with in their youth, and almost certainly would have been in Carroll's mind when creating his own Humpty Dumpty character.

null

Many of the exhibits showed aspects of the Victorian age which were relevant to "Alice" the book. This huge, expensively made and somewhat grotesque clock (below) could only ever be Victorian, and to me it sums up the period well, right down to the rather moralistic reminder that TEMPUS FUGIT in enamelled mock-medieval lettering.

null

The exhibition catalogue has many pages of pictures from the virtual reality exhibit and many of the gifts in the giftshop also feature the VR steampunk-style artwork, which was created by Kristjana S. Williams

In real life, I'm not sure how many people got to see the VR at the show. There weren't many headsets, and a long and rather crowded queue offered a twenty minute wait for the chance of five minutes playing the Queen at Hearts at croquet. But it looked fun, and well done, and if you have VR at home, you can download it for a very reasonable price.

null

There is a large but rather sparse section on the seaside. I thought the highlight of this was a big animation of bubbling water cascading ceaselessly into a pool, with quotes from the book floating about .... mesmerising.

null

The seaside area contains a section on film and theatrical performances, including several gorgeous vintage film posters and material I hadn't seen before. In fact, even when I went to the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco, I didn't manage to see all Mary Blair's brilliant conceptual sketches for how the Disney "Alice" should look, so it was really good to see them again. They were hard to photograph at the show, so I've linked to some online images.


One of the more baffling Disney-related exhibits was also in this section. It is part of a transcript of a discussion between Walt and Aldous Huxley, who was apparently being considered as an advisor to the film. Aldous Huxley? Why? Could he have been asked because of his experiences with mescalin? It's hard to imagine Walt wanted to make a feature of drug use, but who knows?

But, obviously, hallucinogenics do have their place in the show, including posters from the shortlived but famous American studio "East Totem West" (they did the cat at the top of this post). And, perhaps predictably, there was a film of Jefferson Airplane's "Go Ask Alice."



The exhibit before the exit was one of my favourites. It shows ribbon-like projections constantly twisting and bending into curious shapes - a bit like flowers, a bit like trees

null

They display some of Alice's more prescient or thought provoking comments, such as "I don't want to be anybody's prisoner - I want to be a Queen." Very much the inner cry of many a Victorian woman, I'd have thought.

null

This final exhibition space was full of mirrors and dimly lit, and, in echoes of "Through the Looking Glass" I watched a small golden haired child walking through the room. But as I watched, she seemed to take off in all kinds of different directions as each mirror caught and reflected a different glimpse of her. It seemed a good way in which to end the exhibition.


31 October 2021
Nicolas Codron is a French paper artist, making artist's books and pop-ups, with objets in many collections, including the Met in New York. He's very interested in Alice. I was taken by this image of the White Rabbit's watch, with what seems to be a shadow of the White Rabbit racing across it. Some of his Alice items are included in his current exhibition in Paris, at Chantrelivre bookstore.

See what you think of his miniature "Alice " book over on Instagram, with echoes of the original binding which Lewis Carroll chose himself.


null
15 November 2023
null

I haven't written here for a while, but I really must put something now because I wanted to write a small appreciation of Edward Wakeling, who was undoubtedly THE world expert on Lewis Carroll. He was such a towering figure that it is almost impossible to believe he has passed away. As well as maintaining a gigantic database, writing tirelessly and looking after a wonderful collection of Carrollania, he was such a nice person - and that is the aspect that I'd mainly like to write about here.

First though, I must mention some of his most useful and remarkable books and pamphlets, which covered most aspects of Carroll's life. His magnum opus was the complete edited edition of the surviving Diaries of Lewis Carroll, meticulously researched and invaluable to any scholar of Carroll and his life. He was also an expert on Lewis Carroll's photography, and compiled the Catalogue Raisonne of Carroll's photographs (here). One of his lesser known but very entertaining books was a look at Lewis Carroll's games and puzzles.


The last of his books which I read was, I believe, the last he ever wrote. It is called THE LIFE OF EDWIN DODGSON, and it was written in conjunction with Caroline Luke, great-granddaughter of Skeffington Dodgson. Based on previously-unpublished material, It tells the life story of the youngest of the Dodgson sons, Edwin, who lived an hard and extraordinary life in various far flung corners of the globe, notably the remote island of Tristan da Cunha. The LCSNA ran a seminar about this book in 2021, which is online at time of writing, here.

On a personal level, whenever I was researching books, media appearances, lectures and newspaper pieces about Carroll, Edward was ready to help if needed. Several times he opened his home to me, let me stay and gave me access to his collections and archives for days at a time. I loved the calm, unchanging atmosphere in his house, particularly his living room with the painted harpsichord, the grand piano and, usually, classical music playing on the radio. I chose the picture above to illustrate him because that informal lunchtime in the garden just sums up what it felt like to be with him in his well tended and utterly fascinating cottage. But I could also mention meals at the pub in Hay, or tea and cake in his conservatory of an afternoon, perhaps with Smokey the cat in attendance. All would have conveyed the orderly, friendly scene that always awaited visitors at his home.

He was welcoming to his friends' families too. We last dropped in to see him in May 2022, when we were on holiday about 30 miles away. He was already feeling great physical limitations, and had suffered many unpleasant medical incidents, but despite this he was his usual self. So we remember that last visit with great affection and happiness, and when we left, we did hope we would see him again.

Sadly, it was not to be. When Christmas comes this year I will really miss receiving his latest instalment of ADVENTURES IN BOOK COLLECTING; his serialised account of hunting down some of his favourite books. Last Christmas he said he still had three more booklets to go, which he hoped to live long enough to send out. We are far from being the only ones who will sincerely mourn the fact that he will not be able to do this. But we know that his memory will be celebrated for as long as people study the life of Charles Dodgson. R.I.P, Edward.
03 December 2023
null

Tatton Park, a grand National Trust house in Cheshire, has an Alice in Wonderland event this Christmas. More details here.

They're rather fond of Alice at Tatton Park. I remember going to a Queen of Hearts Tea there once in the summer, so keep an eye on their website if you're going to be in the area.
19 March 2024
null
I am very grateful to my friend Yoshi, who as sent me a beautiful catalogue from an exhibition on Alice from the doll museum in Yokohama. I wish I could share all the images and ideas in the catalogue with you.... but sadly, of course, I can't. So here are some things which particularly caught my eye...

"Alice" became a popular subject for translations in the Meiji period, almost as soon as Japan opened up to the West after centuries of isolation. And that was only just after Lewis Carroll published "Wonderland" and before he had published "Looking Glass." In a few short years "Alice in Wonderland" had become the most popular children's book in England, and the Japanese wanted to know about it becase they were learning as much as they could about all aspects of Western culture. And since Japanese interest in such things as movable character dolls were growing fast at the same time, "Alice" was an obvious choice for a Western style doll.. or even a Japanese style one.

null

Several of the artists whose work is shown feel strongly about the character of Alice, and identify with it in some way. For instance, Mari Shimazu is inspired by Alice's struggle against Victorian restrictions and also by what she sees as her strong yet gentle and rather melancholy soul. Her dolls are part of a larger body of work around a shadowy 19th century twilight world.
null

By contrast, Sebastian Masuda is interested in the brightness and colour of youthful excitement which he senses in Alice. Below is a picture of his White Rabbit. When I was young I also felt excited and interested by Alice, never knowing what was around every corner but feeling that it might be something bright and wonderful. So I like his bright and cheerful pictures very much. null

The artist Moyan isn't primarily interested in Alice as a personality. She's far more intrigued by the dreamlike unreality of Alice's surroundings, and likes the idea that nothing is ever in proportion or natural, as you see here.

null

Of course making a doll is not just about having an idea; dollmaking is also a craft, and this is Bibary Maida's main interest. The processes of using certain traditional Japanese papier mache techniques and ideas, help her to enter Alice's world in order to have fun. This is an approach which resonates with me too, because if I'm honest I don't like analysing Alice's feelings very much. I believe that "Alice" is in some ways like a Rorschach test, in which the subject's reaction to abstract ink blots is analysed according to psychological theory. I think we mostly interpret "Alice" to suit our own ideas and state of mind! Bibary Maida says something like this when she mentions that she sees herself looking at her from every one of the dolls she makes.

null

What an interesting exhibition! If I ever return to Japan I'll be sure to visit the Yokohama Doll Museum.


24 May 2017
null

"Alice" is well known in Russia, and there are now more than 30 Russian translations of Alice. Perhaps that is not too surprising, since Lewis Carroll's overland trip to Russia and back was the only foreign journey he ever took in his life, and he was entranced and fascinated by the Russia he explored in the late 1860s.

Carroll, as a mathematician, was also particularly fond of geometry. Now, picking up on both these themes, artist and anglophile Yuri Vashenko reveals some of the geometry latent but invisible in Tenniel's original drawings, as well as introducing his own, in a new exhibition in London#s Pushkin House. (see address and details below). It runs from 1 June to 10 July.
.
Along with the exhibition the following events are taking place in June and July:

On 2nd June the artist Yuri Vashenko is in conversation with Liza Dimbleby.
On 16th June, in "Growing up in Wonderland" Daria Kulesh and Marina Osman explore the ambiguous wonderland of their Soviet childhood through song.
On 18th July (after the exhibition finishes) there is a talk by Kiera Vaclavik of Queen Mary college, on: 'Alice Grows Up: Russian Emigrees and the Making of a Style Icon'.

There will also be a screening of ‘Alice’ (1987) an animation masterpiece from the end of the Soviet Period by Polish filmmaker Jan Švankmajer.

Further details are to be confirmed.

Pushkin House is at:
5A Bloomsbury Square
London WC1A 2TA
Tel: 020 7269 9770

There are more details of these events on the Pushkin House website, which can be accessed here
15 November 2016
It's interesting to see how popular Alice is in Japan, and how everyone knows her. Perhaps there is something about Alice and her world that strikes a special chord with Japanese people. It would take a social psychologist to figure out why, though, so I won't offer any opinions myself!

My good friend Yoshi in Tokyo has just sent me a very interesting book, which was issued by Takarazuka University on the theme of Illustrating "Through the Looking Glass."

It's a well produced book with full colour and metallic printing. Taking a tip from Tenniel, perhaps, the front shows Alice going through the Looking Glass, and the back shows her coming out of it.





There are far too many illustrations to show, and I'm sorry that they're not very well photographed - it's one of those books that doesn't easily lie flat. But I hope these give you a flavour of how much variety there is.

The photographs below each image show the artist. Again, sorry they're blurred, I really tried, but short of holding the book flat with a large sheet of glass (which I don't have), I just can't get everything in focus at once!



Izumi Kyoko's Humpty Dumpty has echoes of 18th century English caricatures.



This has a formal graphic quality



And this is more the kind of Alice I'm used to seeing in Japan



Fujishiro Misaki's illustration, below, has something of the film poster about it - not sure who the hero is, or the solemn lady on the left - but quite a few manga and graphic series do cast Alice as a romantic heroine.



If I had to choose a favourite, I would perhaps go for the three dimensional work below, mostly sewn and knitted



Here is a close up of some of the 3-D work - creepy, isn't it?



I did like Ikeda Momoka's work, which focuses on animals - specially the cat looking at the chessmen. Her other illustrations are also cheerful and intriguing.



Here's a closer look at another of her takes on cats and chessmen



I really liked looking through this book and seeing all the different interpretations of the same story.
18 November 2016
It's so sad to hear of the death of David Delamare. I have remembered his wonderful video "Beware the Jabberwock" ever since I first saw it. Here it is below.



If you want to read a tribute to David, go here.

29 November 2016


So who is this lady with the sunshade, and what is she doing?

You'd be forgiven for not knowing. But she is supervising the door into one of the most unusual shops in Tokyo. It is called "Alice on Wednesday."

When I first visited Tokyo, in 2014, I didn't manage to get into "Alice on Wednesday." It had only opened two days before my visit, and the initial demand from customers was so high that anyone who wanted to go had to reserve tickets on the internet before turning up.

I have just returned from a second trip to Japan, and this time I did get into "Alice on Wednesday." Obviously, the internet tickets aren't necessary now that the novelty has worn off, but, two years on, the shop has done very well and now seems to have become one of the fixtures of Tokyo life. It's in the attractive Harajuku area of the city, down a side street, and when we arrived there were only about ten people waiting, so we joined the queue...



It's a very tall, thin shop, and you have to enter through that rather tiny door you can see on the right, and begin by climbing all the stairs to the top floor. It's not unlike going up the rabbit hole, in fact, for there are all kinds of curious things on the way. I didn't notice cupboards with jars of marmalade in, but there were toadstools towering above your head...



and strange illuminated pictures on the walls...



When you reach the top floor, it has quite an "attic" feeling. It's very small and Victorian in style, and most of the daylight filters through a stained glass window...



whereas the lampshade, as you see, is a large top hat.



There really seems everything that an "Alice" collector might want. I don't collect myself but even I bought myself a cool little Mad Hatter handbag mirror.

Most of the mechandise is specially designed for the shop, and is not just a collection of things you can get elsewhere. The website, here, is only in Japanese, but this gives an idea of the kind of items they normally sell.

If I hadn't been watching the weight of my luggage, I would probably have bought a mug - I like the one to the left, with the door and a handle like a key.



And I always fall for fancily packed eatables or drinkables. These are mostly to be found on the bottom floor, where you pay.



These rather luridly coloured bottles look as if they really might alter your perceptions a bit.



And the biscuits are most beautifully lettered.



I haven't seen a rabbit-hole cake before, but the ones here seemed to be selling well.



"Alice" is popular and well known in Japan, but it's interesting that here in England nobody has had the idea of producing a shop as creative and original as this. I wonder if the Japanese company will set up a branch in Oxford?

....maybe, one Wednesday, they will.

01 December 2016
zoonation

Ooh my ears and whiskers!! Zoonation hiphop dance company are having a Mad Hatter's Tea Party in the Roundhouse! This unusual Camden Town venue, once an old railway turntable shed mouldering away in NW London, is always fun to visit. And Zoonation's crazy show is definitely bringing Alice up to date. It's suitable for all ages, they say, so get yourself over to this link and take a look at what they say - there is a trailer on the site, too. Tickets are £15 and the first performance is on 30 December. It runs till 22 January.
12 December 2016


Just been sorting out the photos of the Alice in Wonderland coffee shop in Tokyo- must be one of the most unusual "Alice" themed places around and we had a really nice visit there, with a group of Japanese Carrollians. That is my friend Yoshi outside, and the ceramic sign says "Koseto" which means Old Seto pottery. So as well as being about Alice, it's also about pottery.



As you see, the interior is quite traditional in style, with the dark wooden walls, horizontal lines and calm atmosphere. There is pottery of all types - from the multifarious teacup designs to some one-off items like a splendid curved pottery plant holder which is at least a metre high! But the potter had a special love of Alice, so that is the main theme.





We had fun choosing the cakes



...mostly of the sweet and sticky variety...



And the staff created a complete work of art - just as well we had a bit of time to sit and chat - this place is the opposite of fast food, which is part of which gives it such a relaxing atmosphere



When the food came it was fun - complete with a cheerful little ceramic dog.





I was puzzled by this, though - a little bottle with a golden stopper...



I was amazed to find that it contained brandy - to go in my tea. At first, I thought it must be to go on the cinnamon toast I had ordered.

I've never heard of brandy in tea, (although it went very well) and the Japanese hadn't heard of whisky in coffee, so perhaps next time any of them come to London we will try that!


08 February 2017


"Mad Hatter Tea" is a useful Alice related gift, (although as tea goes it is quite expensive). It's good quality tea, though, so I thought I'd pass on the news that they have a Facebook competition running till 10 February to win some Mad Hatter string-and-tag teabags, a pack of Café Wonderland 'Alice House' ground filter coffee, a packet of waffles and a Mad Hatter Tea mug. The link is here If you win, please let me know!
10 March 2017


I was in the graphic novel/comic bookstore "GOSH" and saw "Alice in Comicland" - but for some reason I hadn't seen it before. It was published in 2014, in the USA, and I can hardly think it's taken that long to get over here... so either I'm just unobservant or else I've been looking in the wrong places.

Actually, I'd have thought it would have been in the bookstore of the Comic Museum when they did their fantastic "Alice in Cartoonland" show. If you want to read more about the background, this interview with compiler and comic historian Craig Yoe will fill you in on more of the details.

23 March 2017
When I went to Japan last time, I gave a talk at a university there about Creative Responses to Alice. I intended to begin my talk with the following image

tattoo leg

It was literally hours before my talk when I realised that in Japan, there is a strong link between tattoos and crime. I am sure that many Japanese people are aware that in the west tattoos are now a fashion accessory, but still, I thought the image might give the wrong message, so I pulled it and replaced it with a more innocuous one.

And how I regretted not thinking of this before, as I struggled, in a hurry, to change my PowerPoint using a Japanese computer keyboard..... something I had never used before, and hope never to have to use again!



I thought of this when walking through Spitalfields market recently, and I spotted this (below) hanging on one of the stalls, and smiled at the memory.




28 February 2017


A while ago I wrote about Cellophany's eight cello performance of Alice in Wonderland.

A recording of this piece, partnered with a version of The Wind in the Willows, and both narrated by Simon Callow, is now available with Colchester Classicsm price £12. There are further details here