ABSTRACT
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) begins with the observation, “‘and what is the use of a book,’ thought Alice, ‘without pictures or conversations? ’” 1 Like Alice, Lewis Carroll was very aware of the importance of illustrations in the successful marketing of children's books. More than most children's authors of the Victorian period, Carroll was actively involved in the designing and marketing of his books. Carroll helped determine the books' size, the quality of the books' paper, and the style and size of the typefaces; in addition, he approved the illustrations and determined their location, and selected the books' bindings. He helped determine prices of the various editions of all the Alice books. Eventually, he even selected the books' translators. Carroll was much more involved in the book design of Wonderland than most contemporary writers are allowed by their publishers. Carroll's many Alice books not only marked a significant change in children's literature, they also brought significant innovations to publishing.
