The Other Alice: The Story of Alice Liddell and Alice in Wonderland

I love this book, and it's been the source to inspire me on other bios regarding Lewis Carroll. The presentation is beautifully done, fully illustrated in color, thorough, and reads in small sections for breaks. It's a great book for reading at bed-time or on outings. Yes, it's for young people, however it does not disregard some of the more questionable issues between Carroll and Alice. Author simply recommends other reading! And there a pages of maps and reference materials, all of which are excellent. Makes for a considerate gift to any fan of Alice.

This is about the real life child who inspired the stories:Alice Liddell,and her connections to Charles Dodgson as she and her family then knew him.It also focuses on the Liddells in order to introduce plenty of Victorian history which is presented in a very easy to digest form. Full of pictures both photos and original art from Inga Karin-Erikkson. Its where to start if you're new to Alice and it would make anyone want to collect Alice/Lewis Carroll. The earlier Beyond The Looking Glass by Colin Gordon explores the same subject in minute detail for anyone who wants more Highly recommended

This is a book for children (with wonderful illustrations) that attempts to tell the story of the friendship between Alice Liddell and "Lewis Carroll". It is written is a somewhat episodic style. The episodes are chosen, for the most part, due to the bearing that each one has on illuminating characters and situations found in the "Alice" books. The author does not completely avoid the controversial, and this is somewhat of a pleasant surprise. Though originally written in Swedish, it reads very well in translation. I found the book to be both poignant and scholarly (i.e., well-researched), and with great adult appeal for a childrens' book. (Even if the text were less rewarding than it is, the book would be worth keeping for the illustrations alone)

Although The Other Alice is technically a children's book, any fan of Lewis Carroll will find it rewarding. The meticulous art work, showing Alice Liddell and her sisters and Charles Dodgeson [Carroll] and many Oxford settings is superb. The book is also includes many actual photgraphs of Alice, her family and Dodgeson's other child friends. Although this is a book for children, it does not shy away from the rather sad life and obsession which drove Dodgeson, nor does it give an artifically happy ending to the story. If you wonder where many of Dodgeson's plot developments came from [e.g. the Dodo, the wet 'caucus race' you'll find it all here. The author [who also wrote the delightful Linnea in Monet's Garden] and illustrator deserve kudos for this book [translated from the Sweedish, there is apparently a different translation avaiable in England under the title Alice's Oxford Adventure]. Well worth reading in a more adult approach is Staphanie Stoffel's Lewis Carroll in Wonderland [which includes some of the paintings done by Erickson for this book] both are better reads [and far more fun] than Gardner's Carroll biography.