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Alice In Wonderland: The Original 1865 Unabridged and Complete Edition
Alice in Wonderland is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creatures. It is seen as an example of the literary nonsense genre. The artist John Tenniel provided 42 wood-engraved illustrations for the book.
It received positive reviews upon release and is now one of the best-known works of Victorian literature; its narrative, structure, characters, and imagery have had a widespread influence on popular culture and literature, especially in the fantasy genre. It is credited as helping end an era of didacticism in children's literature, inaugurating an era in which writing for children aimed to "delight or entertain."
The tale plays with logic, giving the story lasting popularity with adults and children. The titular character Alice shares her given name with Alice Liddell, a girl Carroll knew.
It received positive reviews upon release and is now one of the best-known works of Victorian literature; its narrative, structure, characters, and imagery have had a widespread influence on popular culture and literature, especially in the fantasy genre. It is credited as helping end an era of didacticism in children's literature, inaugurating an era in which writing for children aimed to "delight or entertain."
The tale plays with logic, giving the story lasting popularity with adults and children. The titular character Alice shares her given name with Alice Liddell, a girl Carroll knew.
112 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 30, 2023
832 people are currently reading
271 people want to read
About the author
Lewis Carroll
6,164 books8,500 followersThe Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known by the pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican clergyman and photographer.
His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass as well as the poems "The Hunting of the Snark" and "Jabberwocky", all considered to be within the genre of literary nonsense.
Oxford scholar, Church of England Deacon, University Lecturer in Mathematics and Logic, academic author of learned theses, gifted pioneer of portrait photography, colourful writer of imaginative genius and yet a shy and pedantic man, Lewis Carroll stands pre-eminent in the pantheon of inventive literary geniuses.
He also has works published under his real name.
His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass as well as the poems "The Hunting of the Snark" and "Jabberwocky", all considered to be within the genre of literary nonsense.
Oxford scholar, Church of England Deacon, University Lecturer in Mathematics and Logic, academic author of learned theses, gifted pioneer of portrait photography, colourful writer of imaginative genius and yet a shy and pedantic man, Lewis Carroll stands pre-eminent in the pantheon of inventive literary geniuses.
He also has works published under his real name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
January 3, 2024
I have wanted to read Alice In Wonderland for the longest time, so it felt deserving of being one of my first reads of the new year. My interest in the novel has grown as I read other books referencing it. Not only is it referenced in countless books, but it is also one of the main inspirations for one of my favorites, so ultimately, it was a no-brainer that I had to read it.
It was no surprise that I found it to be utterly delightful. It was perfectly mad and whimsical making it the most charming piece of literature. It is one of those brilliantly innovative novels that is impossible to imagine the world of writing without. It has become such a fundamental piece and for good reason.
How the novel covers childhood imagination and how that plays into growing up is astounding. It has a bittersweet ending tying the careless, accepting nature of a child with the grounded nature of an adult.
Perfect piece of writing and I am ashamed that it has taken me this long to read it.
It was no surprise that I found it to be utterly delightful. It was perfectly mad and whimsical making it the most charming piece of literature. It is one of those brilliantly innovative novels that is impossible to imagine the world of writing without. It has become such a fundamental piece and for good reason.
How the novel covers childhood imagination and how that plays into growing up is astounding. It has a bittersweet ending tying the careless, accepting nature of a child with the grounded nature of an adult.
Perfect piece of writing and I am ashamed that it has taken me this long to read it.
October 30, 2024
My friends and I recently dressed up for an Alice in Wonderland party. Upon discussion, everyone but me stated they had never read the book. So, I later bought a book for everyone and we are all reading it so we can discuss it.
I read it in my youth, and of course, I saw the movie. However, I have to say I enjoyed it even more as an adult. What a witty read with lots of humor and possible intentional allegory/symbolism. Chapter 3 and chapter 9 had me rolling in laughter!
If you read it as a child, read it again. It’s worth the three hours or so, and it will definitely lift your mood!
I read it in my youth, and of course, I saw the movie. However, I have to say I enjoyed it even more as an adult. What a witty read with lots of humor and possible intentional allegory/symbolism. Chapter 3 and chapter 9 had me rolling in laughter!
If you read it as a child, read it again. It’s worth the three hours or so, and it will definitely lift your mood!
August 13, 2024
why didn't he (the author) talk about the Cheshire cat at the end, in the section that was in a way the microcosm of the entire book? Was it because it was the only channel between the real and the fantasy for Alice or the link to the real world like her cat D. Because all goes but the smile of the Cheshire cat. The in between.
February 4, 2025
I have never read this or seen a movie version of this. It has been on my tbr list forever. I have been challenging myself to read outside of my normal genre (thrillers) this year so I figured now is as good a time as any to read this. While I am glad to have marked it off my list, I struggled to finish it. This is one time I may have preferred to skip the book and just watch the movie.
January 27, 2026
Nonsense and whimsical but I prefer the animation
October 5, 2025
This book literally feels like someone was really high when they wrote it. It is still better than the kid's version we read at an early age. Just because the book was written wit a kid as the central character doesn't mean that it is meant for the children.
December 31, 2025
I've finished Alice just in time to still fit this title in year 2025! :D.
Very happy about that.
I may be a bit biased, but this book was absolutely lovely. Literary nonsense could be one of my favourites actually. However only if combined with a lighthearted fairytale ;}.
Very happy about that.
I may be a bit biased, but this book was absolutely lovely. Literary nonsense could be one of my favourites actually. However only if combined with a lighthearted fairytale ;}.
February 6, 2026
I’ve never been a big fan of Alice in Wonderland but my husband apparently loved it and watched it over and over again as a child so I thought maybe if I read the original I would come to enjoy it more. Thankfully it was a short read because while I do appreciate it more it wasn’t my favourite read and was just as weird to read as it is to watch the movie. I probably could have read it really quickly- less than a day- if I had really enjoyed it but I didn’t actually begin enjoying it until it came to the March Hare and Mad Hatter’s Tea Party and bumping into the Queen of Hearts and her court. Still facing a bunch of weird little adventures there too I found it hard to keep reading.
So in summary- there is definitely a lot more to the book than the movie. The little adventures in the book not included in the movie are way more bizarre and were to me somewhat dull and I would have been more interested if the story was just about the characters shown in the cartoon- which already as it was I’ve never been a big fan of. By the time I got to the familiar characters in the book, I was excited to see them but felt discouraged again when the book took more side quests to other characters and stories that weren’t in the movie.
In conclusion- I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it and found it hard to read in one go or even huge chunks at a time as it just didn’t keep my interest. Though for someone who does like this story I’m sure they would have been able to finish it in a single morning.
So in summary- there is definitely a lot more to the book than the movie. The little adventures in the book not included in the movie are way more bizarre and were to me somewhat dull and I would have been more interested if the story was just about the characters shown in the cartoon- which already as it was I’ve never been a big fan of. By the time I got to the familiar characters in the book, I was excited to see them but felt discouraged again when the book took more side quests to other characters and stories that weren’t in the movie.
In conclusion- I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it and found it hard to read in one go or even huge chunks at a time as it just didn’t keep my interest. Though for someone who does like this story I’m sure they would have been able to finish it in a single morning.
February 18, 2026
I loved this, so glad I followed up Peter Pan with another children’s classic novel.
This wasn’t as hard to read as I thought it would be based on what I remember about Disney’s Alice in Wonderland. It was of course full of confusion - or “nonsense” as Alice would say - but it’s an intentional part of the story and it is written in a really comical way. I laughed out loud more than once, either at a one-liner from one of the strange characters like the Hatter or the Cheshire Cat, or just giggling at the absurdity of what I’m reading.
I feel like you could really deeply analyse this story. It’s not dark on the surface, the way that Peter Pan was, in fact, I wouldn’t say it was dark at all. It had its moments where a line here and there would make me raise my eyebrows, but it wasn’t so obvious.
The last chapter is where I started to realise that there were more layers to the story than I’d initially thought. The way that the jury-men are portrayed, it almost felt like Orwell for a moment. The fact that they were all just writing insignificant things that were said, one of them even “writing” on his slate with his finger. Alice even states that it doesn’t matter what they say, as the Queen says “Sentence first—verdict afterwards.” It’s all backwards because the world is nonsensical, but there may be some ties to reality. That seems like a common theme in children’s classics, the world and the adventure might be fantastical and wacky, but it is based on something from the real world.
I loved the ending to this story as well, it was comforting how quickly it came back to Alice waking up on the bank with her sister, her head in her lap. I also loved the sister’s dreams which came after, it really rounds off the story in a lovely way, but very similar again to Peter Pan, we fast forward to a dream about Alice when she’s grown up, telling her stories about her “Adventures” to her own children.
This wasn’t as hard to read as I thought it would be based on what I remember about Disney’s Alice in Wonderland. It was of course full of confusion - or “nonsense” as Alice would say - but it’s an intentional part of the story and it is written in a really comical way. I laughed out loud more than once, either at a one-liner from one of the strange characters like the Hatter or the Cheshire Cat, or just giggling at the absurdity of what I’m reading.
I feel like you could really deeply analyse this story. It’s not dark on the surface, the way that Peter Pan was, in fact, I wouldn’t say it was dark at all. It had its moments where a line here and there would make me raise my eyebrows, but it wasn’t so obvious.
The last chapter is where I started to realise that there were more layers to the story than I’d initially thought. The way that the jury-men are portrayed, it almost felt like Orwell for a moment. The fact that they were all just writing insignificant things that were said, one of them even “writing” on his slate with his finger. Alice even states that it doesn’t matter what they say, as the Queen says “Sentence first—verdict afterwards.” It’s all backwards because the world is nonsensical, but there may be some ties to reality. That seems like a common theme in children’s classics, the world and the adventure might be fantastical and wacky, but it is based on something from the real world.
I loved the ending to this story as well, it was comforting how quickly it came back to Alice waking up on the bank with her sister, her head in her lap. I also loved the sister’s dreams which came after, it really rounds off the story in a lovely way, but very similar again to Peter Pan, we fast forward to a dream about Alice when she’s grown up, telling her stories about her “Adventures” to her own children.
May 4, 2024
3.5 ⭐️
It’s really a fever dream of nonsense. I swear Lewis Carroll was smoking opium when he wrote this. That being said, I enjoyed it. It’s easy to get lost in its silliness.
It’s really a fever dream of nonsense. I swear Lewis Carroll was smoking opium when he wrote this. That being said, I enjoyed it. It’s easy to get lost in its silliness.
July 11, 2025
Don’t do drugs kids
September 3, 2025
Read a chapter a night to the kids as our bedtime chapter book.
January 31, 2025
Old classic favorite of mine.
September 23, 2025
mostly nostalgic. it's, however, a very confusing book, and reading it sporadically over the course of a year made it even more confusing
May 12, 2025
One of those famous yet short books. So embedded in popular culture, that one feels like one already knows it. Back in 1865, this whimsical children's story must have made a big impact. However, imaginative, hallucinogenic, literature has moved on by centuries. So I found it like a movie oversold by its trailer. All the good bits already familiar, and the rest deflated.
January 18, 2026
It was so lovely to read such a whimsical book! Not at all what I was expecting - much less plot and much more vivid imagery. It was lovely to be swept away with the quick-paced dialogue and poetry.
At parts it was (perhaps purposefully) hard to follow, but a re-read led me back to realise it is nonsensical. A lovely characterisation of all the animals and cards, and I enjoyed the jury scene most.
Favourite quote: “how she would keep, through all her riper years, the simple and loving heart of her childhood”
At parts it was (perhaps purposefully) hard to follow, but a re-read led me back to realise it is nonsensical. A lovely characterisation of all the animals and cards, and I enjoyed the jury scene most.
Favourite quote: “how she would keep, through all her riper years, the simple and loving heart of her childhood”
October 4, 2023
I finally read Alice in Wonderland!! This was so good, the fact that I was in a trance while reading this, it brought back a lot of childhood memories for me and I could not be happier to have finally read it. The Disney movie is one of my childhood favourites so it was so fun to read the original source material
February 23, 2026
i remember reading this when i was 8 and hating it but it's stunning
January 1, 2024
En definitiva un libro demasiado extraño. Nunca he sido fan de la historia de Alice; la pelicula animada me aburría, el live-action de Tim Burton me daba un poco de miedo pero hasta ahí y cuando comencé este libro sentí que tal vez la historia del país de las maravillas simplemente no era para mi. Pero, al pasar de los capítulos, me empecé a adentrar en las locuras de este mundo y me encontré disfrutándolo. Es una historia confusa pero bastante graciosa y tiene demasiadas frases que se quedan contigo.
January 13, 2025
Almost unreadable. Random, incoherent babble. Nothing makes sense. Sentences are not connected to each other and the endless 'poetry' utterly pointless and meaningless. Horribly written. No story. Could I hate it more? No. I only finished it because it was the chosen text for my bookclub. The only positive was that it's mercifully short.
February 27, 2026
the only book i finished in 2025… i was staying in a small town in denmark with a library that opened once a week. shoutout to the librarian who let me borrow this book without any way to prove i’d bring it back. their limited english section had me choosing between alice in wonderland and a brave new world. i chose the former because frankly it seemed easier and also, i’ve grown up knowing this story. i’ve attended a mad hatter party and seen the animated, live-action, and silent films, but never read it. i really enjoyed doing so; its surrealism was complimented by 1) the nostalgia it made me feel and dreaminess of recalling childhood and 2) how unreal my life felt at the time, being able to share a house, cook dinners, and go to the library with strangers from different countries. anyways it was really short and i wasn’t reading it for analytical purposes, so that’s all i’ve got to say right now.
July 23, 2025
While I searched for meaning, reason, and logic… I think the true “point” of this book was to indulge in my childlike innocence and let my imagination run wild with what could be and what really is. Although I feel a strong connection to the trials and tribulations children (especially girls-women) experience growing up, not fitting in their skin, being an odd duck in a odd world only to realize the world is more mad than I could ever be. As I closed the cover I had to accept I can prescribe whatever meaning I wish to the book, but in this case it is probably best to accept that it is not meant to be tied up neatly in a bow at the end. Allow myself to sit with the wonder it leaves in me.
April 22, 2025
Mi sono fatta spiegare da Gemini i sottotesti di questo classico, sperando che scattasse qualcosa, nella mia testa, che mi facesse apprezzare la satira della rigida educazione vittoriana, l'allegoria delle difficoltà psicologiche che affronta il bimbo davanti ai tanti cambiamenti della crescita, e varie altre cose che sí, capisco ci síano, ma non mi hanno reso interessante quella che alla fine dei conti ho solo trovato una lettura molto noiosa.Ero pronta a farmi rapire dal mondo psichedelico di Alice, ma purtroppo non è successo!
January 30, 2024
I love this story and it fits my head and thought patterns. I realize some people think it sounds like nonsense quite a bit of the time though. I'm sure everyone knows of the story, but maybe you haven't read it to get that side of the full experience though the movies are good. :)
I really liked the writing style with loose association conversations and twisty ways of thinking. I didn't really like most of the poems/songs inside the story though.
I really liked the writing style with loose association conversations and twisty ways of thinking. I didn't really like most of the poems/songs inside the story though.
January 3, 2025
***Review based on Audiobook of this original unabridged version.***
Terrible. I’ve never read this book and thought it would be a good audiobook but boy was I wrong. The storyline was ridiculous and the storytelling appalling.
I may one day get the hard copy and try to persevere. Made it three quarters of the way through and couldn’t tolerate another minute.
I really wanted to like this, and expected that I would.
Terrible. I’ve never read this book and thought it would be a good audiobook but boy was I wrong. The storyline was ridiculous and the storytelling appalling.
I may one day get the hard copy and try to persevere. Made it three quarters of the way through and couldn’t tolerate another minute.
I really wanted to like this, and expected that I would.
January 28, 2024
This was fun but a little frivolous. Which I suppose is the point. But I'm reading this in consideration of teaching it. I don't think I will though, so I've got to come up with something else fast. Oh well. Fun read; not sure what to make of it. Maybe just old museum jokes. Glad I had the experience with it, though.
July 7, 2024
Really amazing story to read, this is one of favourite stories of all time, the creativity of the characters and writing is so well done, and the illustrations that accompany the story as you read are brilliant. Classic stories are the best to read because you get drawn in to the world of wonderland
June 29, 2025
A true classic that’s much more than a children’s story. Carroll’s surreal world invites the reader to question logic, language, and identity — all wrapped in playful nonsense and rich symbolism. The book’s layered meanings and imaginative characters leave plenty to reflect on at any age. A timeless, rewarding read
September 24, 2025
My 2025 re-read.
The conversation with the caterpillar with a hookah and the Cheshire Cat are my favourite
“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?
That depends a good deal on where you want to get to” said the cat
“ I don’t much care where” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go”
The conversation with the caterpillar with a hookah and the Cheshire Cat are my favourite
“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?
That depends a good deal on where you want to get to” said the cat
“ I don’t much care where” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go”
November 23, 2025
I struggled to get into this book and kept putting it off, until I found a wonderful LibriVox recording by Peter Yearsley. The reading was lightly comical and made the experience worthwhile. Reading 5⭐! The author's writing is great, but it's a children's story, so not very engaging for the adults of today.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews