Carroll, Lewis

“Lewis Carroll” was the nom-de-plume of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (1832–1898) and best known as the author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865), the first editions of which are now amongst some of the most collectable books in the industry. His talents extended to mathematics, photography and facility for word play, logic, and fantasy. Through the Looking Glass And What Alice Found There (1871) completed the Alice story. He is responsible for the introduction of many new words and phrases into the Oxford English Dictionary. For example, the phrase “fall down a rabbit hole” describes finding oneself in a strange situation. Or “chortle” is defined a blend of chuckle and snort as in “She chortled in his joy.” Other notable works of Carroll that focus on literary nonsense includes the poem Jabberwocky (1871), and The Hunting of the Snark (1876). Carroll’s work of puzzles and games include Doublets (1879), A Tangled Tale (1885), and The Game of Logic (1886).