Lewis Carroll, [Charles Lutwidge Dodgson]. ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND. New York: The Limited Editions Club, 1932. Signed limited edition; no. 964 of 1500 printed copies signed by typographer Frederic Warde on rear limitation page; of these copies, this is one of approx. 500 that were additionally signed by Alice Hargreaves on free endpaper after half title. Hardcover. Red morocco-covered boards with stamped gilt patterns and lettering, all edges gilt; no jacket as issued, in publisher's blue cloth slipcase. 8vo; [i-iv], v-xi, [xii-xiv], [1-3], 4-182pp, [6]. Wood engravings by Bruno Rollitz of John Tenniel's original illustrations.

Also included with the lot is a letter from LEC to its members dated April 15, 1932. It discusses the book and their request to have Mrs. Hargreaves sign copies for members interested in paying an extra fee to have the autograph of the "original 'Alice'." To their letter, they attached a copy of a letter from Mrs. Hargreaves's son who wrote about his mother's conditions for signing the limited editions, noting that "...she has made it an unbroken lifelong rule never to sign her name merely in the role of the original Alice in any books or letters or autograph books or anything else. This being the case, you will realize that, apart from the great effort of doing such a thing at her age, it would be a very special favour for her to autograph your edition, and would make it absolutely unique."

6 x 8 7/8 in.

From the Collection of a Gentleman, Greensboro, North Carolina

This LEC special edition was published at the time of the 100th anniversary of Lewis Carroll's birth (born Charles Lutwidge Dodgson in 1832). Mrs. Hargreaves (born Liddell) traveled to the U.S. for the occasion. Dodgson was friends with the Liddell family and frequently photographed Alice and her siblings. The character of Alice came from a story Carroll told the Liddell children while entertaining them one summer afternoon in 1862; he later wrote the story down under the title Alice's Adventures Under Ground. This soon became Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, first published in 1865.

Book with edgewear, especially to corners and head and tail of spine, light marks to boards; offsetting, pages very lightly toned, scattered light foxing and soiling, bookplate on front paste-down endpaper, unfortunate small hole/tears impacting approx. 20 pages. Slipcase worn and browned, with small hole, but sturdy. Letters with creasing and minimal foxing, (1) closed tear, folded in quarters; handwriting on back of copy presumably from Hargreaves's son. Signed copies of this book are scarce, especially in original slipcase; inclusion of letters incredibly rare.

$1,000 - 2,000