Alice in Wonderland at RBSC
Rare Books and Special Collections contains material related to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There, and other works by and about author Lewis Carroll.
The heart of the Alice holdings is the Alice 100 Collection, which celebrates the 100th anniversary of the first publication of Alice in 1865. Over a seven year period, a well-known rare book dealer in Victoria, R.D. Hilton Smith, gathered almost 500 books for this collection. The collection includes more than 200 editions of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland usually accompanied by Through the Looking Glass and displays the work of more than 80 illustrators. The collection includes the 1866 official first edition to a calf-bound set that bears Alice Hargreaves' (Alice's married name) signature. The collection also includes parodies and imitations, musical and stage productions, film stills, translations, as well as other works by and about Alice author Lewis Carroll.
In 1965, the collection was purchased by UBC’s graduating class of 1925, led by Stan Arkley, and it was donated to the University of British Columbia in celebration of their 40th anniversary. Over the years, RBSC has continued to add to its Alice collection.
Please see the Alice in Wonderland research guide for more information.
Image: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Lewis Carroll. New York: Gilbert H. McKibbin, 1899.