Alice in Beeland

Illustrations by Julia Greene.

Published by Cupples & Leon, 1919.

Hardback, no dustjacket.

Four black and white full page illustrations, with plenty of smaller drawings of Alice and her bee friends scattered throughout text.

Little Alice Wells is exploring her garden when she spies Bombus, a bumblebee, and follows him to overhear him conversing with Madam Zumm and a young bee named Buzz. They give her a special nectar which enables her to enter the Bee world, where she learns much about Bees and their life and society.

Evertype re-issue available on Amazon if you want a read: Alice in Beeland: A Tale Inspired by Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland

Malice in Blunderland

Cover illustration by Roy Peterson.

Published by Seal Books – McClelland and Stewart-Bantam Limited, Toronto, 1983.

Paperback.

“224 pages of political commentary, anarchist wit and some of the most intelligent assessments of this country” – Toronto Star.

Not much Alice connection past the title and cover.

Girls in Bookland

Illustrated by John Wolcott Adams: an American draftsman and illustrator, 1874-1925.

Published by George H. Doran, 1917. Hardback first edition, no dustjacket.

Rose and Ruth visit their heroes from favourite books, including Alice and her friends in the chapter A Looking Glass Visit. There’s a nice picture of them all: see below or via the online link.

The full contents:

How it began to open.–The winner of the torch race.–An adventure with Little women.–A looking glass visit.–A tournament and a rescue with Rowena.–Afternoon tea in Cranford. A letter from Lorna.–Little Maid Marion.–The adventure in Guinevere’s castle.–In the Hielands with Di Vernon.–A summer day with Ramona.–Romola and the Florentine boy.–Little Nell and the bun-shop.–Evangeline and the big bear.–The little Quaker-city maid

Available to read on-line.

Blue Alice: A Trip Through a Sexual Wonderland

Paperback. Published by Dell, 1972. First printing.

Alice seems to be a popular subject for ‘adult’ interpretations. The back cover of this book says “”Once upon a time there was a wee sexy miss named Alice”.

From the blurb:

Curiouser and curiouser!

Poor Alice. First there was the White Hophead who led her astray… then Timothy J. Caterpillar, the psychedelic guru with his unusual methods of instruction… then General March O’Hare and General Mad Anthony Hatter, both wigged out of their skulls on Hanoi Gold… then Tricky Dick Cheshire, who was willing to do anything to make everyone, and especially Alice, love him… then Horatio H. Humpty, who gets his kicks with his ever ready mouth… next came the White Knight of New York, who liked it best on horseback… and the Red Queen, who showed Alice a new way to a woman’s heart,,,

Yes indeed, things were getting curiouser and curiouser for Alice- and the worst, and best, was yet to come…

Fantastic 1970′s stylee cover art…

A present from my generous boyfriend…

Do you know how hard it is to scan a hat?

Alice Versary: 1759-1959- The Guinness Birthday Book

Pamphlet of 16 pages, celebrating the 200th anniversary of Guinness.

Illustrations by Ronald Ferns

Printed by W. S. Cowell Ltd, Ipswich.

Guinness began sending promotional booklets to doctors in 1933, breaking off during World War 2, and restarting again in 1950.
In all, 24 were made, of which five are based on the Alice books: this is the last of the five. All of the booklets were produced by the advertising agency SH Benson, who were also responsible for many of the iconic Guinness ads of the period.

Ronald Ferns (14 October 1925 – 2 December 1997) was an English illustrator, designer, cartoonist and surrealist painter in both oil and watercolour.  After training at St. Martins in London, his first major official commission was a vast mural for the 1951 Festival of Britain for the Milk Marketing Board. In the same year, he was also commissioned to create the scenic design for the premiere of Fate’s Revenge by the Ballet Rambert. He later produced children’s books including The Learned Hippopotamus (1986), Caterpillar Stew (1990) and Like It Or Not (1992.

Parodies include The Fish Ball and Curiouser and Curiouser:

‘It must, I fear,’ said Alice, ‘Be something that I ate – I’m opening like a telescope at an alarming rate! And yet I can’t help thinking how useful necks like these would be in any Wonderland where Guinness grows on trees’.

Seems to be the easiest to find of the Guinness Alices. Mine was on ebay- there are usually one or two on amazon: Alice Versary

Alicia in Blunderland

Small hardback with dustjacket, Published by Oswald Train, 1983. First edition. Number 112 of 500.

Dust jacket art by Stephen E. Fabian.

P. Schuyler Miller (1912-1974) was an American critic and science fiction writer. In 1933 he wrote Alicia in Blunderland: publishing it serially in Science Fiction Digest magazine under the byline ‘Nihil”. This book brings the episodes together in a limited format along with an introduction by Lloyd Arthur Eshbach (1910-2003), another American SciFi writer.

Alicia meets characters and writers of science fiction of the period.

Bought in Marchpane Books, Cecil Court.

Available on Amazon: Alicia in Blunderland

From the V&A Shop website:

A Mad Tea-Party – a celebration of British Design by Clifford Richards

Giclee print
Limited edition of 150, signed and numbered by the artist.

Created by Clifford Richards to celebrate British Design in the year 2012.  Look closely at the print to see a plethora of design classics and some familiar faces.  Now in his 70s, Clifford Richards left his advertising job in the mid 1960s to focus on creating his own products, invariably made from card and adorned with bold, colourful graphic illustration. Much of his work from the 60s and 70s is now in the V&A’s permanent collection.

The print is full of references to British design: from Gilbert and George to Dyson. It’s hard to see them all at small scale, but here’s the list if you want to have a go:

L-R: Grayson Perry and Measles, Peter Blake, David Hockney, Stephen Jones, Damien Hirst, Prof Tracey Emin wearing a dress loosely based on Vivienne Westwood’s designs, Gilbert and George, Heston Blumenthal pouring a rainbow, Terence Conran

The table leg is from the Louis Console Table by John Reeves for Heal’s. Peter Blake sits on Tom Dixon’s Offcut Stool. Stephen Jones on a Robin Day Polyprop Armchair, Terence Conran lounges in his own Cone Chair and in the foreground is Ron Arad’s Three Skin Chair.

Under the table Paul Smith is represented by his brands shopping bag and James Dyson by his Ball. There is a trash can that used to appear on old Mac computers.

On the table are a couple of Clifford Richards Urban Alphabet mugs. One showing an anglepoise lamp which was an original British design, a vase with Mary Quant’s flower and an iconic plastic squeeze Red Tomato.

At the back is bunting representing the Queen’s Jubilee, an E-Type Jaguar and Concorde.

Available from the V&A or on Amazon.

According to their website, Spineless Classics are ‘complete, legible texts of classic books in one poster’. It really is clearly legible, although probably not the easiest reading experience. Certainly not recommended for the bath…

It contains the full text, with Alice peeping behind the curtain in the hall of doors, and with a tumble of hearts and clubs and spades and diamonds behind her.

I like the fact that the ‘Mouse’s Tale’ keeps its original type-setting.

This was my Christmas present, but you can get it on Amazon.

Alice in Blunderland: an Iridescent Dream

Illustrated by Albert Levering.

Published by Doubleday, Page & Company, New York, 1907. Hardback clothbound first edition: no dustjacket. 12mo.

Bangs (1862-1922) was an American writer, essayist and lecturer, and he turns Alice turns into a political satire

Alice travels to Blunderland, where “everything goes just right”: assuming you believe the keepers of the Municipal Home of Children, where all the children live. Appearances by the dormouse, the Duchess, the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat and the White Knight.

From Alice in Blunderland:

“Certain of our members claim that they have a right to sell their votes for $500 apiece–”

“Mercy!” cried Alice, “Why, that is–that is terrible.”

“It certainly is,” said the March Hare ruefully, it’s rotten. Here I’ve been holding out for $1,250 for mine, and these duffers want to go in for a cut rate that will absolutely ruin the business.”

There’s a facsimile version available: Alice in Blunderland: An Iridescent Dream

The Mad Hatter talking through his hat.

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