Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Posted on the 29th September, 2025
Where it came from
On 4 July 1862, Charles Dodgson, a mathematics don at Oxford University, took ten-year-old Alice Liddell and her sisters on a rowing boat up the River Thames. To entertain the children, he made up a story about a little girl who falls into Wonderland and has a many strange adventures. It so delighted Alice that she begged him to write it down. The resulting book was published in 1865 under the pen name Lewis Carroll, with illustrations by the political cartoonist John Tenniel.
Where it went next
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland has been popular ever since, translated into nearly 100 languages. It has inspired illustrators and artists, philosophers and scientists, and been adapted many times for stage, film and radio, board and video games and theme park rides. Since 2007 Oxford has marked the first telling of this much-loved tale with a city-wide celebration each July, co-ordinated by The Story Museum.
Associated stories
Alice had further adventures in Through the Looking Glass published in 1871. Film versions often include elements and events from both stories. In 2019 the anthology Return to Wonderland brought together a number of leading children's authors who wrote short stories set in Wonderland.