Lewis Carroll: An Illustrated Biography

by Derek Hudson

A detailed account of the life of the nineteenth-century English writer and mathematician is lavishly illustrated with drawings by Carroll and others and photographs of Carroll's contemporaries

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1972

Reviews

[Jackie Carreira · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little out of date now, and not as thorough as modern readers might like it to be, but an interesting read for Carroll fans nevertheless.

[A.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a shame this biography has fallen out of print, as it offers a fairly balanced view on the life of Lewis Carroll, otherwise known as Charles Dodgson. One of the more interesting themes explored is the separation between these two lives, which only adds to the complexity and contradiction that define Dodgson's character. Clearly well-researched, Hudson does succumb to the usual mythologizing, but he takes a careful approach and gives a much fuller picture than Carroll is sometimes afforded. For fans of Carroll's work, this book is worth hunting down, if only as a companion to the biographies that are currently in print.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

On balance this is probably the best Lewis Carroll biography, but the style is too excitable. Serious writing shouldn't have this many exclamation marks. However, Hudson was the first biographer to call his readers' attention to _Cakeless_, so credit where it's due.

[Adam Stevenson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not having an idea of what the book was about, I found it loose and rambling.