I surmise that it would be pretty difficult to find someone in the English-speaking (or English-reading) world who hasn't heard of Alice in Wonderland. The stories, the illustrations, the screen adaptations - it's a tale we all know in one form or another. But did you know it's not the original? That Carroll/Dodgson's muse, little Alice Liddell, was introduced to a different version of the world that has grown so beloved?
The book that Carroll gave her was titled Alice's Adventures under Ground, which he wrote and illustrated by hand. In this original version, Alice played croquet with an ostrich instead of a flamingo, met a Marchioness of Mock Turtles instead of an Ugly Duchess and had no Cheshire Cat to greet her. Intrigued by what other changes Carroll made? Well, you can actually read for them yourself, if you'd like. The Folio Society has printed 3,750 facsimile copies of the original manuscript, bound in goatskin leather with gilt pages and hand numbered. It's the exact replica of the manuscript currently housed in the British Library, and you can read more about it at The Folio Society's website.
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