Carroll, Lewis [Dodgson, Charles Lutwidge]

small 4to (198 x 160mm.), 18 of 40 pages presenting the author’s manuscript listing of 121 names and addresses together with a key to symbols on inside of upper wrapper, all in purple ink, dated between 21 June and 2 July 1889, original paper wrappers, collector’s chemise and red morocco pull-off box, loss to wrappers and detached at spine

Eldridge R. Johnson sale, Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, 3-4 April 1946, lot 82

Williams, Madan, Green and Crutch note that the first idea of a nursery edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland came to Dodgson in 1881. On 15 February he suggested the book “with pictures printed in colour” to his publishers and in 1886 it was announced as being in preparation.

Dodgson’s listing, here, presents names and (mostly) addresses for recipients of the book. The first thirteen pages are dated 21 June 1889, one page is dated 2 July 1889 and the final four pages are undated. The key to symbols includes notes as to whether a recipient had a copy “sent from London”, “sent from Oxford” and whether “entered in Letter-Register”. (The reference is to Dodgson’s own register of letters which he started in his late 20s and which he kept for the rest of his life. The register no longer survives, but is thought to have recorded more than 98,000 sent and received letters.)

The listing commences with family copies (“The Misses Dodgson”, “Mrs Collingwood”, “Miss Irene Dodgson”, etc.) before an alphabetical sequence. Mrs Hargreaves is at number 34 with an additional note of “morocco”. This has been crossed through. Miss M. Van der Gucht, the dedicatee of the book, is at number 83. She similarly has an additional note of “morocco” which is crossed through. A number of Lewis Carroll’s books had been specially bound in white morocco for presentation but such a binding was, apparently, not realised for The Nursery Alice. Copies 94 through to 121 are additional names outside the alphabetical sequence.

The listing is within a 40 page exercise book. One page includes a page of algebra questions (in black ink), not in Dodgson’s hand. This has been crossed through in purple ink.