Lewis Carroll
1. Born on 27 January 1832 at Daresbury, Cheshire.
2. Eldest son and third child of the Rev. Charles Dodgson and his wife, Frances Jane née Lutwidge.
3. Seven sisters (Frances, Elizabeth, Caroline, Mary, Margaret, Louisa, and Henrietta) and three brothers (Skeffington, Wilfred, and Edwin).
4. Educated at home by his parents – showed ability in mathematics.
5. Family moved to Croft–on–Tees, Yorkshire in 1843 when his father became rector there.
6. Went to school at Richmond, Yorkshire, when he was 12 years old.
7. Transferred to Rugby School in 1846 and studied there for four years.
8. Gained a place at Oxford University in 1850.
9. Took up his place in January 1851 as an undergraduate at Christ Church.
10. His mother died suddenly within a few days of his arrival at Christ Church.
11. Graduated with a BA degree in 1854; 1st class in Mathematics, 3rd in Classics.
12. Became a tutor in mathematics at Christ Church; appointed Sub–Librarian in 1855.
13. Appointed Mathematical Lecturer at Christ Church in 1855, but takes up the post at the beginning on 1856.
14. Took the pen–name “Lewis Carroll” (based on a Latinate form of his first names) in February 1856.
15. Became a keen amateur photographer in 1856.
16. Ordained deacon in the Church of England in December 1861.
17. The story of Alice’s Adventures first told on a river trip with Alice Liddell and her sisters on 4 July 1862.
18. The manuscript of Alice’s Adventures given to Alice Liddell as a Christmas gift in 1864.
19. The book, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, first published in 1865.
20. Took a trip across Europe to Russia in 1867; his only trip abroad.
21. His father died in 1868; he assumed the role of “head of the family” as the eldest son.
22. Leased a home at Guildford for his brothers and sisters.
23. Published his first book of poems, Phantasmagoria, in 1869.
24. Through the Looking–Glass published in 1871.
25. Continued to write mathematical works for the undergraduates at Oxford University.
26. Published an epic nonsense poem, The Hunting of the Snark, in 1876.
27. Rented accommodation at Eastbourne for the summer holidays in 1877, and continued this practice for the rest of his life.
28. Invented many word games and mathematical puzzles.
29. Published the drama, Euclid and His Modern Rivals, in 1879, but it was never performed as a play in his lifetime.
30. He gave up his photographic hobby in July 1880 and took no more photographs.
31. Resigned the Mathematical Lectureship at Christ Church in 1881, but remained in residence as a senior member of the college.
32. Elected Curator of the Common Room in 1882 by his colleagues.
33. Further poetry published under the title Rhyme? and Reason? in 1883.
34. A series of mathematical problems woven around a story published at A Tangled Tale in 1885.
35. The original manuscript of Alice’s Adventures published in facsimile in 1886, all proceeds going to hospitals and children’s homes.
36. The Game of Logic published in 1887 to support his teaching of the subject in schools and colleges.
37. The first part of a new story book, Sylvie and Bruno, published in 1889.
38. A special version of Alice for very young children, called The Nursery “Alice”, was written in 1889.
39. The second part of the new story, Sylvie and Bruno Concluded, published in 1893.
40. His major work on logic, Symbolic Logic, Part 1: Elementary, was published in 1896; two further volumes were planned but not published in his lifetime.
41. He died at Guildford on 14 January 1898 and is buried there.
42. The copyright of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland ended in 1907 and many editions have been published since them, the book never going out of print. It has also been translated into many different languages.
Alice Liddell
1. Born on 4 May 1852 at Westminster School, London, and christened “Alice Pleasance Liddell” in Westminster Abbey by her father.
2. Fourth child and second daughter of the Rev. Henry George Liddell and Lorina Hannah née Reeve.
3. Five brothers (Edward Henry–known as Harry, James Arthur Charles–died in infancy, Albert Edward Arthur–died in infancy, Frederick Francis, Lionel Charles) and four sisters (Lorina Charlotte, Edith Mary, Rhoda Caroline Anne, Violet Constance).
4. Father was headmaster of Westminster School from 1846–1855.
5. In June 1855, Alice’s father was appointed Dean of Christ Church, and the family moved to the Deanery in early 1856.
6. Lewis Carroll first met Alice (then aged nearly four) when he was photographing the Cathedral at Christ Church in April 1856.
7. Lewis Carroll took many photographs of Alice (one given above) and her siblings, Harry, Lorina and Edith. Alice was educated at home.
8. She was particularly good at English, French and art.
9. Her governess was Miss Mary Prickett, known by Alice as “Pricks”.
10. Alice had short dark straight hair cut into a fringe.
11. Reports say she had blue eyes, although her passport described them as “dark”.
12. Lewis Carroll often visited the Deanery and entertained the Liddell children, especially when the Dean and his wife were abroad for the sake of the Dean’s health.
13. Lewis Carroll taught them to play croquet, and also a special version of the game that he invented called “Castle Croquet”.
14. Lewis Carroll invented a card game called “Ways and Means” that he played with the Liddell children.
15. On 4 July 1862, Lewis Carroll took Alice, her two sisters Lorina and Edith, together with Rev. Robinson Duckworth, on a boat trip up the River Isis (Thames) to Godstow.
16. The story of Alice’s Adventures was first told on this river trip.
17. At Alice’s request, Lewis Carroll wrote out the story he had invented, which he called “Alice’s Adventures Under Ground”.
18. Lewis Carroll wrote out the story from memory in his own neat hand; it took him several months to do so.
19. He also drew pictures to illustrated the story.
20. The manuscript of Alice’s Adventures was given to Alice Liddell as an early Christmas gift in 1864.
21. Friends of Lewis Carroll who had seen or heard the story beforehand strongly advised him to publish it.
22. Lewis Carroll re–wrote the story for publication, adding new episodes such as the Mad Tea–Party.
23. The book, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, was first published in July 1865 with illustrations by John Tenniel.
24. Tenniel was not satisfied with the printing of the first edition, and it was withdrawn.
25. The book was re–printed and published in December 1865, although these copies have 1866 on the title page.
26. The book has never been out–of–print from then onwards.
27. In Alice’s Adventures, Alice’s sister Lorina is the “Lory” in the “Pool of Tears”.
28. In Alice’s Adventures, Alice’s sister Edith is the “Eaglet” in the “Pool of Tears”.
29. All three sisters appear in the Dormouse’s tale at the “Mad Tea–Party” as the three little sisters who lived at the bottom of a well, named Elsie (L. C. or Lorina Charlotte), Lacie (anagram of Alice), and Tillie (short for Matilda, the children’s pet–name for Edith).
30. Robinson Duckworth was the “Duck” in the “Pool of Tears”.
31. Lewis Carroll’s own adopted character was the “Dodo”.
32. The Prince and Princess of Wales visited Christ Church in 1863, and this event became a feature of the sequel, Through the Looking–Glass.
33. Through the Looking–Glass was published in late 1871, but all copies of the first edition have 1872 on the title page.
34. At the end of Through the Looking Glass there is a poem, the first letter of each line spells out Alice’s name.
35. When Alice was a little older she was, for a time, romantically linked with Queen Victoria’s youngest son, Prince Leopold.
36. Alice married Reginald Hargreaves on 15 September 1880 at Westminster Abbey. She wore a brooch from Prince Leopold on her wedding–dress. They lived at “Cuffnells,” a large country house at Lyndhurst in the New Forest, Hampshire.
37. Alice had three sons; Alan, Leopold – known as Rex, and Caryl; Alan and Rex were both killed during the First World War.
38. Alice sold her manuscript of Alice’s Adventures Under Ground at auction in 1928, for which she received £15,400 (a very high price for a literary manuscript in those days).
39. Alice travelled to the United States of America in 1932, the centenary of Lewis Carroll’s birth, in order to support an exhibition at Columbia University, New York. She was also awarded an honorary doctorate of literature while she was there.
40. Alice died at Westerham, Kent, on 15 November 1934, aged 82; her ashes were buried at Lyndhurst in the Hargreaves family tomb
41. The manuscript of Alice’s Adventures Under Ground, went to the USA after being sold at auction, but was presented to the British nation by a group of American benefactors in 1946, and it is now in the British Library.
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