John Bull’s Adventures in the Fiscal Wonderland

John Bull’s Adventures in the Fiscal Wonderland by Charles Geake, with 46 illustrations by Sir Francis Carruthers Gould.

Published by Methuen & Co. 1904, first edition hardback. No dust jacket.

The illustrations are caricatures of political figures of the time, and I’m not at all sure who any of them are…

From the preface:

“Our first word must be one of our sincere and appreciative acknowledgments to the Writer and Illustrator of the incomparable Alice Books-to Lewis Carroll, the one man who, if he had only been alive, could have made head or tail of Mr. Chamberlain’s figures, and to Sir John Tenniel, happily still in our midst, even though each succeeding Wednesday no longer brings with it an example of his genius. It will be noticed that in the Fiscal Wonderland one actor has to sustain more than one of the characters of the Alice dramatis personae. Mr. Balfour is not only Humpy Dumpy, but also the March Hare ; Mr. Chamberlain is at once the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat, and the Knave of the Trial. For this we make no apology, since one man in his time plays many parts, and in this fiscal controversy the time has been as short as the parts have been varied. The Hatter’s riddle (on page 62) as invented had not an answer any more than Lewis Carroll’s original working model, but if an answer be desired, ” Because neither can be obtained from Birmingham” would seem to have the merit of accuracy. In writing and illustrating the Fiscal Wonderland, we do not pretend to having had no settled convictions. But whilst these have not been concealed, we venture to hope that none of the combatants in the Big Fight will find any cause of offence in this new version of the old stories, so much of which now seems only an intelligent anticipation of the present political situation. C. G. F. C. G. January, 1904.”

Bought for me as a thanks by the lovely Michael when he stayed with me for a while.

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