Valentine?

On February 15, the British Library will release a new facsimile edition of Lewis Carroll's original manuscript, Alice's Adventures under Ground (which they have in their collection, which, in turn, is well worth visiting if you happen to find yourself in London). "In an accompanying commentary, Sally Brown sketches a portrayal of Carroll, and traces the stages through which the story passed..." (This may be part or all of this.)

If you don't want to pay postage from the U.K., the giant online bookseller (which shall remain nameless since they don't pay me for advertising) is currently pre-selling the book at a discount.

Twisty yarns

For all you crafty Carrollians, Moda Dea Fashion Yarns now has Tweedle Dee, "a tweed yarn with a shaded color effect. One color melts into the next, making each knitted or crocheted project unique." Probably not coincidentally, they also make Dream and Curious yarns!

Snark!

David Denby's new book, Snark (Simon & Schuster, 2009), is "'a polemic in seven fits' and places his observations of contemporary culture against a history of satire and invective. After introducing the current state of snark and its practitioners, he returns to the earliest dabblers in snark, first citing the origin of the word. For that, he credits the Rev. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, aka Lewis Carroll, who first used the word in a mock epic called The Hunting of the Snark: An Agony in Eight Fits. While Carroll hunted the snark (a creature that, among other things, "has no sense of humor and can't stand puns") he was no writer of snark himself."
From "Of seethe, snarl and glinting malice" by Carol Herman of the Washington Times.

Illustrated Alices

The February 2009 issue of Book and Magazine Collector includes a well illustrated, well researched article on illustrated editions of Alice with a bibliography, only £3.50.

Alice of ...Aquitaine?

"An amateur historian from the US believes he has discovered a connection between the court of King Henry II in Woodstock and classic children’s book Alice in Wonderland. "

www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/4041581.Historian_reveals_Wonderland_theory
Interesting that he went to Oxford to consult a historian, but doesn't seem to have talked to any Alice experts, several of whom live in his hometown of San Francisco.

Alice Revisited

(c) Ellen Kahn

Artist Ellen Kahn's exhibit of paintings and works on paper, "Alice Revisited," references the hall of doors in Alice in Wonderland and the garden of live flowers in Through the Looking Glass to "focus on the psychological struggle that is involved with trying to break free from childhood and move out into the world to discover one’s own identity." At the 440 Gallery in Brooklyn from February 19 to March 29, 2009.

Happy Unbirthday!

Today is Lewis Carroll's 177th birthday!

What's With Alice?

"Wonderland In Alice: The Uncertainty Principle is a post-modern trip through the worlds of Wonderland and quantum mechanics. ...[it] follows Alice through the ten-dimensions of time and space as she searches for identity in an uncertain world. With help from characters such as the Schizophrenic Cat, the Syphillitic Worm and Tofurky, Alice finds her place in a post-9/11 world by learning to understand quantum physics, human sexuality and the power of choice." Wonderland In Alice: The Uncertainty Principle runs February 4-28 at the Dionysus Theatre Complex's L'il Peach Theatre in New York City.
UPDATE: More information is available at www.whatswithalice.com, which is working now, yay!

Jazzy Alice

"Tumble down the rabbit hole into a nonsensical world of riddle and rhyme, using two uniquely American artistic styles: musical theater and jazz! Alice’s journey into Wonderland features favorites like the Mad Hatter, Caterpillar and Queen of Hearts, reborn through jazz styles from Davis to Monk." Portland's Northwest Children's Theater and School performs this original muscial adaptation from January 23 to February 15. If you aren't close enough to check it out, read Oregon Live's interesting review.

Lewis Carroll reads

One of the great things about modern poetry is that we can listen or watch recordings of the poets themselves reading their works. Perhaps using a modified Wayback Machine, Jim Clark/poetryanimations has made it possible now to watch poets of the past "read" their works, including Lewis Carroll!

(Before you ask, the real reader is Justin Brett.)