Wiltshire's Longleat House home to rare edition of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Stately home showcases 'supressed' first edition
Last updated 3rd Mar 2022
Curators at Longleat House are marking World Book Day today ( 3rd March) by showcasing one of the world’s rarest children’s books.
Described as among ‘the greatest rarities in the book world’ by auctioneers Christie’s, Longleat’s 1865 edition of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is one of 22 surviving copies, and one of only six still privately owned.
It was purchased in 1960 by the 6th Marquess of Bath, a keen collector of children’s books, for £1,189 at an auction held at Sotheby’s. The book is among some 45,000 housed in the Wiltshire stately home’s seven libraries.
In 2016 another copy of the so-called ‘supressed’ first edition was put up for sale at Christie’s New York auction house with a guide price of between £1.3m-£2m.
What makes the book so rare?
Curator Dr James Ford explains why the book is so special
“In 1865 2,000 books were originally printed and 50 advance copies sent to Lewis Carroll ahead of them going on public sale.
“However, the book’s famous illustrator John Tenniel was so unhappy with the printed quality of his pictures, he insisted Carroll instruct the book’s publishers Macmillan & Co to recall the print run and have all the remaining copies destroyed.
“Our version is one of a small number Carroll sent to friends and associates” he added.
Longleat’s archive also houses an original sketch by Tenniel of the Mock Turtle, an important character in the story.
Described as a masterpiece of Elizabethan architecture, and home to one of the most significant private collections in the UK, Longleat House is preparing to reopen to visitors for guided tours from 1st April, having been closed for almost two years during the pandemic.
It is also set to stage an Alice in Wonderland-themed event during the Easter holidays.
For details visit www.longleat.co.uk