The Dutch Lewis Carroll Society has published a facsimile of “Lize’s Avonturen in het Wonderland” – the first Dutch translation of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”.
“Lize’s Avonturen in het Wonderland” was originally published in 1875. It is very much abridged (21 pages) and contains 7 enlarged and colored illustrations by Tenniel. It was the fifth translation of the story in the world, but the first one that contained colored illustrations.
The facsimile is based on scans from a copy in the posession of Princeton University, which actually used to be owned by Lewis Carroll himself! “Lize’s Avonturen in het Wonderland’ may have inspired Carroll to publish his “Nursery Alice”, as he wrote the following in a letter to Helen Fielden (April 12, 1881):
And now what can I say on my own account? Shall I send you a Dutch version of ‘Alice’ with about eight of the pictures done large in colours! It would do well to show to little children. I think of trying a coloured ‘Alice’ myself, a ‘nursery edition.’ What do you think of it?
This new issue has a dust cover with information about the facsimile, so the actual cover of the book did not have to be altered, and therefore looks like the original cover from 1875. It has 72 pages, and besides the original text and illustrations it also contains a foreword by the president of the Lewis Carroll Genootschap, Bas Savenije, as well as two essays: “Lize, the first Dutch Alice”, by Henri Ruizenaar, and “Alice in plump Batavian attire”, by Casper Schuckink Cool. The foreword and essays are in both Dutch and English.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
The official book launch will be on October 29, during the symposium of the Lewis Carroll Genootschap in the Netherlands. There will be a virtual English-language book launch on 17 November, 7 PM (GMT), which includes presentations by the authors of the essays, Henri Ruizenaar and Casper Schuckink Kool. The book launch is freely accessible via Zoom.
You can now pre-order the facsimile for €40 at the webshop of the Lewis Carroll Genootschap: https://lewiscarrollgenootschap.nl/product/lizes-avonturen-in-het-wonderland/?lang=en. It will be shipped after the official launch on 29 October.
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