A New Alice in the Old Wonderland facts for kids
Cover of the first edition
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| Author | Anna M. Richards |
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| Illustrator | Anna M. Richards, Jr. |
| Country | United States |
| Genre | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | J. B. Lippincott |
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Publication date
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October 1895 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 309 |
| OCLC | 531268 |
| LC Class | PZ8.R363 Ne |
A New Alice in the Old Wonderland is an exciting fantasy novel. It was written by Anna M. Richards. Her daughter, Anna M. Richards Jr., drew the pictures. The book was first published in 1895 by J. B. Lippincott in Philadelphia.
This book is special because it's one of the most important "Alice imitations." These are stories inspired by Lewis Carroll's famous Alice books.
Contents
What is A New Alice About?
A New Alice tells the story of a girl named Alice Lee. She is an American girl who happens to have the same first name as the famous Alice. Alice Lee visits Wonderland, a magical place. There, she meets all the characters you might know from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking-Glass (1871).
The Illustrations
The book has 67 drawings inside. These pictures were made by the writer's daughter, Anna M. Richards Jr. She drew them to look very similar to the original drawings by John Tenniel. Tenniel was the artist for Lewis Carroll's Alice books.
How the Story Began
The book starts with a special introduction called a Preface. This part is on pages 5 and 6 of the first edition. It includes a drawing of three children. The drawing is signed "A. M. R., Sr." This means Anna M. Richards, the senior or older one.
A Poem for Readers
The Preface also has a rhyming poem with four stanzas. It explains that the story started many years ago. Anna M. Richards had "unreasonable children three." They loved the Wonderland of Alice so much that they wanted more stories. So, their mother, Anna M. Richards, made up new adventures for them.
From Family Story to Book
The poem also mentions that one of those children, now grown up, drew the pictures for the book. This was Anna M. Richards Jr. The authors apologize to Tenniel and Carroll, saying they are "not original, nor wise, nor witty." They ask the "Critic" (people who review books) to be kind.
About the Author and Illustrator
The 2009 edition of the book, published by Evertype, gives the full names of the mother and daughter. The mother was Anna Matlack Richards (1835–1900). The daughter was Anna Richards Brewster. Her middle name was Mary, not Matlack. She later became a very famous artist using her married name.
Anna Matlack Richards' Life
According to a writer named Carolyn Sigler, Anna Matlack was already known for her poems and plays. This was before she married William Trost Richards in 1856. She was about 20 or 21 years old then. They had eight children together. In the 1890s, she wrote funny poems. These were published in magazines for children in America.
A New Alice was an expanded version of stories she made up for her own young children. The book is even dedicated to them. These stories were about their favorite storybook world, Wonderland. A second edition of the book was published in 1896. Carolyn Sigler suggests that Alice Lee, the main character in the book, is based on Richards's own daughter.
