Is My Copy of Alice in Wonderland a First Edition? How to Identify

A genuine first edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson) is among the most valuable books in the English language — and among the most complex to identify, because the first edition has one of the most unusual publication histories in all of bibliography.

The Quick Answer

The story of Alice’s first edition involves a withdrawn printing, making the bibliographic landscape unusually complicated:

The 1865 First Issue (Suppressed)

• Publisher: Macmillan and Co., London
• Printer: Clarendon Press, Oxford
• Date: 1865
• Print run: ~2,000 copies printed, but almost all were recalled and destroyed
• Surviving copies: Approximately 22–23 known copies worldwide
• Value: $2,000,000–$4,000,000+

The 1866 Second Issue (The “True” First Available Edition)

• Publisher: Macmillan and Co., London
• Printer: Richard Clay, London (re-set and reprinted)
• Date: 1866 (though many copies retain “1866” on the title page)
• Print run: ~4,000 copies
• Value: $30,000–$150,000 depending on condition

Why Was the 1865 First Issue Recalled?

The story is legendary in publishing history. Macmillan printed approximately 2,000 copies of Alice at the Clarendon Press in Oxford in 1865. When the illustrator John Tenniel saw the printed results, he was horrified by the quality of the reproduction of his illustrations. He wrote to Carroll (and Macmillan) expressing his dissatisfaction, and Carroll — who was financing the publication himself — agreed to suppress the entire printing.

Nearly all 2,000 copies were recalled from booksellers. Most were destroyed, though some sheets were sent to the American publisher D. Appleton & Co. and used for the American first edition (with new title pages). Carroll gave a handful of copies to friends before the recall.

The surviving copies of the 1865 first issue — approximately 22–23 are known — are among the rarest and most valuable books in the world. When they appear at auction (which happens perhaps once a decade), they command prices in the millions of dollars.

Identifying a Copy

For the 1866 “Standard” First Edition

Most collectors seeking an Alice first edition will encounter (if they are very fortunate) the 1866 reprint. This is still extremely valuable:

Title page: “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” / “by Lewis Carroll” / “With Forty-Two Illustrations by John Tenniel” / “London: Macmillan and Co.” / “1866”

Key points:

• Macmillan imprint on title page
• Red cloth binding with gilt decoration on front cover and spine
• All edges gilt (a.e.g.)
• 42 Tenniel illustrations throughout
• The famous frontispiece of Alice with the hookah-smoking caterpillar

Copyright page: May include “New Edition” or other reprint indicators for later impressions (multiple printings occurred in 1866 and beyond).

For the 1865 First Issue (Museum-Grade)

If you believe you have one of the 22 surviving copies:

• 1865 title page (not 1866)
• Clarendon Press printing characteristics (specific type, paper, and binding consistent with the Oxford printer)
• Any such copy would be known to scholars and should be immediately submitted to a major auction house or specialist dealer for verification

What Is My Copy Worth?

1865 First Issue

1866 First Published Edition

The American First Edition (1866, Appleton)

The D. Appleton & Co. (New York) first American edition used sheets from the suppressed 1865 Clarendon Press printing — the very sheets Tenniel had rejected. These are printed from the same plates but with new title pages and binding:

The Appleton edition is an unusual bibliographic object: the text and illustrations are from the rejected 1865 printing, making these copies technically printed before the 1866 Macmillan “first.” Some collectors consider the Appleton edition a “first” in its own right.

The Carroll Collecting Hierarchy

Carroll published numerous works, but the Alice books dominate his collecting profile:

Through the Looking-Glass (1872) is the natural companion to Alice and is actively collected alongside it.

Common Confusions

The Many, Many Reprints

Alice has been continuously in print since 1866. Macmillan alone printed dozens of editions. Other publishers (including the “People’s Edition” at lower prices) followed. Any copy with a publication date after 1866 on the title page is a later edition.

Illustrated Editions by Other Artists

Numerous artists have illustrated Alice over the past 160 years — Arthur Rackham (1907), Mabel Lucie Attwell (1910), Salvador Dalí (1969), Ralph Steadman (1967), and many others. These are first editions of their respective illustrated editions and can be quite valuable (the Rackham edition is worth $2,000–$10,000), but they are not the 1865/1866 first edition with Tenniel illustrations.

”First Edition” Modern Printings

Every major publisher has issued Alice (it is in the public domain). “First Edition” statements on modern printings refer to that publisher’s edition only.

Practical Authentication

For any copy believed to be an 1865 or 1866 first edition:

1. Macmillan imprint — verify on title page
2. Date — 1865 (suppressed) or 1866
3. Red cloth binding — original, with gilt decoration
4. Tenniel illustrations — 42 illustrations throughout
5. Paper and typography — consistent with 1860s British printing
6. Provenance — any ownership history is critical

For purported 1865 first issue copies, contact Christie’s, Sotheby’s, or Bonhams immediately. These copies are known to scholars, and a newly discovered copy would be international news.