Ihadsentmyheroinestraightdownarabbit-hole...withouttheleastideawhatwastohappenafterwards,'wroteCharlesDodgson,describinghowAlicewasconjuredupone'goldenafternoon'in1862toentertainhischild-friendAliceLiddell.HisdreamworldsofnonsensicalWonderlandandtheback-to-frontLooking-Glasskingdomdepictorderturnedupside-down:ababyturnsintoapig;timeisabandonedatadisorderedtea-party;andachaoticgameofchessmakesaseven-year-oldgirlaQueen.Butamongsttheanarchichumourandsparklingwordplay,puzzles,paradoxesandriddles,arepoignantmomentsofelegiacnostalgiaforlostchildhood.Startlinglyoriginalandexperimental,theAlicebooksprovidereaderswithadoublewindowonbothchildandadultworlds.
AccordingtoHerodotus,AesopwasaslavewholivedinSamosinthe6thcenturyB.C.Hismoralanimalfableshavedelightedyoungandoldforcenturies.Thisfabulousfull-coloreditionoftheclassicAesopfeaturestheoriginalillustrationsofMiloWinter.Thisuniquecollectionfeatures147ofthebest-lovedfables,includingsuchfavoritesas"TheTownMouseandtheCountryMouse,""TheAntsandtheGrasshopper,""TheGooseandtheGoldenEgg,""TheWolfinSheep'sClothing,"and"TheHareandtheTortoise"andalltheirwonderfulandamusinganimalcharacters.
TheHollyTreebyCharlesDickenswasoriginallypublishedin1855,beingtheChristmasnumberofDickens'speriodicalHouseholdWords.Itwassopopularthatitwasthenadaptedforthestage.It'sacollectionofshortstoriesbyDickens,WilkieCollins,WilliamHowitt,AdelaideAnneProcterandHarrietParr,aroundthethemeoftravellersandinns.IlikedCollins'sandHowlitt'sstoriesthemost.ItbeginswithastorybyDickens,TheGuestinwhichagentlemanonhiswaytoLiverpoolissnowedinattheHolly-TreeInninYorkshire.
TheAdventuresofTomSawyerbyMarkTwainisan1876novelaboutayoungboygrowingupalongtheMississippiRiver.Itissetinthe1840sinthefictionaltownofSt.Petersburg,inspiredbyHannibal,Missouri,whereTwainlivedasaboy.TomSawyerliveswithhisAuntPollyandhishalf-brotherSid.Heskipsschooltoswimandismadetowhitewashthefencethenextdayaspunishment.Hecleverlypersuadeshisfriendstotradehimsmalltreasuresfortheprivilegeofdoinghiswork.
PeterPanisafictionalcharactercreatedbyScottishnovelistandplaywrightJ.M.Barrie.Afreespiritedandmischievousyoungboywhocanflyandnevergrowsup,PeterPanspendshisnever-endingchildhoodhavingadventuresonthemythicalislandofNeverlandastheleaderoftheLostBoys,interactingwithfairies,pirates,mermaids,NativeAmericans,andoccasionallyordinarychildrenfromtheworldoutsideNeverland.
Thefirstvolumeofthefirsteditionwaspublishedin1812,containing86stories;thesecondvolumeof70storiesfollowedin1815.Forthesecondedition,twovolumeswereissuedin1819andathirdin1822,totalling170tales.Thethirdeditionappearedin1837;fourthedition,1840;fifthedition,1843;sixthedition,1850;seventhedition,1857.Storieswereadded,andalsosubtracted,fromoneeditiontothenext,untiltheseventhheld211tales.
Alice'sAdventuresinWonderland(commonlyshortenedtoAliceinWonderland)isan1865fantasynovelwrittenbyEnglishmathematicianCharlesLutwidgeDodgsonunderthepseudonymLewisCarroll.IttellsofagirlnamedAlicefallingthrougharabbitholeintoafantasyworldpopulatedbypeculiar,anthropomorphiccreatures.Thetaleplayswithlogic,givingthestorylastingpopularitywithadultsaswellaswithchildren.Itisconsideredtobeoneofthebestexamplesoftheliterarynonsensegenre.