Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Garcia, Camille Rose (ILT)
Carroll, Lewis
Hardcover
List Price:                 $16.99
booksXYZ price: $11.04

You'll notice this isn't the classic image of Alice from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, you may be more familiar with the image to the right, a classic representation of a familiar children's story beloved by many.  I include Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in our Should've Read series, partly because with Tim Burton's new movie Alice in Wonderland has just come out and interest has re-sparked in many people, but also because I ran accross this beautifully rendered edition of Alice in Wonderland by Camille Rose Garcia while I was searching for a book for todays "Should've Read."  (Which is also why the image is larger than usual).

Written in 1865 by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll the novel is considered to be one of the most characteristic examples of literary nonesense, it is also noted for the way in which Carroll plays with logic. 

Alice in Wonderland (the commonly abbreviated form of the title) has been adapted to film many times, including this years release.  There were several silent films, a Disney version, and several television versions (including a Sy-Fy four hour serialized version).

The story has also leaked into popular culture.  For example, "going down the rabbit hole" is a popular term for going on an unknown adventure (it also has other connotations in drug culture). 

Alice has also been reprinted in at least 125 different languages and there have been over 100 editions of the book, as well as adaptations into other media such as film, comic books, and graphic novels. 

The Illustrator of this edition, Camille Rose Garcia, was born in 1970 in Los Angeles, California.  She grew up in the generic suburbs of Orange County, visiting Disneyland and going to punk shows with the other dissenchanted youth of that era.  Her paintings of creepy cartoon children living in wasteland fairy tales are citicial commentaries on the failures of capitalist utopias.  Creative influences include Phillip K. Dick, William Burroughs, Henry Darger, Walt Disney, as well as politcally aware bands like The Clash and Dead Kennedys.  Her recent solo show, Ultraviolenceland, explored ideas of violence and empire. Her work has appeared in Flaunt Magazine, Rolling Stone, Juxtapoz, and Paper Magazine, among others. She currently lives in Los Angeles.

This description gives you an idea of what to expect with the illustrations, I'm also assuming this may not be suitable for very young children (use your own knowledge of your child when purchasing) and is a fairly alternative artistic interpretation of the classic children's story.  To give you a bit of an idea on the differences between artistic styles there are two images to the right, one an original illustration and one by Camille Garcia. 

Alice in Wonderland has been on my to-read list (no I've never read it!) for quite some time now, years really, but I've never picked up a copy to sit down and read.  Now that I've seen this beautifully illustrated edition, I may have to buy my copy before they're out! So go visit the Mad Hatter (or is he in the sequel?) and the rabbit and enjoy a visit down Alice's rabbit hole!

Summary

‘Down,
down,
down.
Would the fall never come to an end!'

Since its publication in 1865, Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland has delighted the world with a wildly imaginative and unforgettable journey, inspiring children of all ages to suspend disbelief and follow Alice into her fantasy worlds. This new gift edition presents Carroll's tale fully unabridged with a unique visual interpretation by renowned artist Camille Rose Garcia.