Alice Aforethought: Guinness Carrolls for 1938

Alice Aforethought: Guinness Carrolls for 1938

Pamphlet of 24 stapled pages.

Illustrated by Antony Groves-Raines.

Printed in Great Britain by John Waddington Limited, London

This series of pamphlets are called “Doctor’s Books” as they were sent to GPs’ surgeries to get them to encourage the drinking of Guinness for medical purposes: apparently very good for nursing mothers for example… how times change.

Guinness began printing these in 1933, carried on until World War 2 halted the practice, and started again in 1950. The booklets were then produced each year until 1966. They were produced by the advertising agency SH Benson, who made many of the iconic Guinness ads. There were 24 booklets produced, of which five were Alice spoofs. This is the third of those.

Parodies include Alice Through the Guinness Glass, The Three Little Sisters, Humpty Dumpty Re-Cited, Clubberwocky and The French have a Word For It :

“What’s the French for Guinness?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know that” said Alice.

“Why, ‘Guinness’ of course!” said the Queen.

“But that’s the same word,” objected Alice.

“Why shouldn’t it be” said the Queen. “Even if you must talk French, there’s nothing like a Guinness, except another Guinness.”

I bought my copy cheaply on ebay- you might be lucky, or there’s usually a copy on either abebooks or on amazon: Alice Aforethought : Guinness Carrolls for 1938

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