Alice's Adventures in Wonderland: An edition printed in the International Phonetic Alphabet Paperback – 21 Dec. 2014

Alice is one of those truly classic stories, that I can read again and again. What an imagination this author had.

This book is so pretty, I got the paperback one and honestly I’m so pleased with it. Unfortunately it did come with 2 rips in the first 2 pages but nothing too concerning.

It arrived with a damaged corner (most likely from packaging and travel) and what seems to be ink streaked across the back cover. Also, considering the good quality of the paper inside the book itself; the cover being a thin paper is disappointing as it's more likely to get damaged with time.I do love the art work in it, which was the main reason I bought it. And, it's fascinating to learn about the history of the story, and it's author and illustrators. Learnt something new the first page I read from the introduction.It would make a good gift or a family keepsake.

My 10 year old is really enjoying the book but she keeps pointing out errors. Is it that it’s an old book?! I’m not actually sure as it’s errors like ca’nt to-morrow and speech marks not being closed. She’s only on chapter 3 and so many errors already. I think she’s finding it quite fun noticing the errors anyway!

Alice in Wonderland was first published in 1865, a year that saw Charles Dickens survive the Staplehurst rail crash and the foundation of The Christian Mission (later to become the Salvation Army). At the other end of the scale, neither being saved nor salvaged, were the 400 rebels who were executed following an unsuccessful uprising against British rule in Morant Bay, Jamaica. Across the Atlantic Ocean the American Civil War was drawing to a close. Three days after the publication of Alice In Wonderland, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated and just before the end of the year, the Klu Klux Klan were formed.Strange times. Harsh times. If ever there was a time for an escape into 'Wonderland' then certainly 1865 was as good a time as any.The first thing I will say is that I am amazed this book has stood the test of time. It is wonderful that it has done, but amazing all the same. Not because it's not good, but purely because it is almost entirely insane! At the height of Victorian stoicism and the dour industrialisation of England, Reverand Charles Dodgson decided to write, under the pseudonum Lewis Caroll, a short novel where the main characters are a talking rabbit, a vanishing cat, a deck of playing cards and a depressed turtle - not to mention a smoking catterpillar and a lizard called Bill. Oh and then there is a tea party that never ends because it is always six o'clock, a game of croquet played with flamingoes for sticks, hedgehogs for balls and soldiers for hoops. And the Caucus Race, well...Although this novel was written by the author for the young daughter of a friend, there is no doubting that it is also for adults. Some of the conversations, particularly involving the Mock Turtle have the same madness about them as do Yossarian's conversations with Clevinger in Catch-22. The puns are superb and the situations entirely Pythonesque. The Mighty Boosh would be a lot less mighty were it not for Alice In Wonderland and you have to wonder at the influence on the likes of Terry Pratchett and Tim Burton. And all done without drugs!But for all the madness there is at its heart a paen to the loss of childhood innocence. The last couple of pages of the novel are almost heartbreaking in their poignancy as Alice's elder sister looks down upon her whilst she sleeps so sweetly. She is almost willing her not to cross that threshold into adolescence and then onto adulthood - a land with more war than wonder.Alice sums it all up when she says:I wonder if I've been changed in the night? Let me think. Was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I'm not the same, the next question is 'Who in the world am I?' Ah, that's the great puzzle!Has there ever been a better definition of adolescence than that?Just as one of the characters in Wilkie Collins' Woman in White continually refers to Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe for the answers to life's predicaments so I think I will always keep Alice in Wonderland handy. For these are Strange times. Harsh times. If ever there was a time for an escape into 'Wonderland' then certainly 2012 is as good a time as any.

This is not a review of the book's literary merit, just the quality of the particular edition.Quite a few positives on offer here, especially considering the price.The binding is sewn, hooray! This isn’t one of those glued paperbacks masking as a hardback. The book is a reader-friendly size, compact, and the font is easily readable with decent line spacing and wide enough margins from the edge. The paper is cream-coloured but unfortunately a bit see-through (probably my only qualm).The design of the book is very simple and visually pleasing – it shows the publishing company deals with art. The dustjacket managed to highlight Tove Jansson’s artwork instead of stealing the show, and the light green paper the book is bound in creates a perfect contrast with the bright orange endpapers.The entire book is generously illustrated with 11 colour illustration, 3 full-page black and white illustrations, and numerous smaller black and white illustrations on nearly every page. An absolute delight for both the fans of book illustration as such, as well as fans of Tove Jansson’s art in particular. Otherwise, it’s Lewis Carroll’s fans, collectors of beautiful books, and (obviously) children who’re in for a treat with this publication.Given the friendly price, there’s not much reason to hesitate whether to add this one to the personal library as the quality is unusually decent for today’s standards. And the illustrations alone are probably worth it.Reviewing the edition published by Tate Publishing in 2011, illustrated by Tove Jansson, ISBN: 978 1 85437 957 3, priced £9.39 at the time.