Lewis Carroll publishes Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Background. The novel was conceived on 4 July 1862 during a rowing expedition on the river Isis with Alice Liddell and her sisters. Carroll began planning a print edition in 1863, and Macmillan Publishers agreed to publish the work. The published version was twice the length of the original manuscript, Alice's Adventures Under Ground, which Carroll presented to Alice Liddell in November 1864. John Tenniel provided 42 wood-engraved illustrations for the 1865 published version.

Publication Process. Carroll first met Alexander Macmillan in October 1863, and the firm agreed to publish the book by 1864. Macmillan suggested the design of The Water-Babies as a basis for Alice's. A specimen copy was seen in May 1865, and 2,000 copies were printed by July. However, Tenniel objected to the quality, leading Carroll to instruct Macmillan to halt publication so the copies could be reprinted.

Editions. The corrected edition, printed by Richard Clay, was published in November 1865. A new edition was released in December 1865 for the Christmas market, carrying an 1866 date. The book was reprinted and published in 1866. The Appleton edition had a title page cancelling the original Macmillan title page of 1865, bearing the New York publisher's imprint and the date 1866.