Lewis Carroll autograph letter tipped in 1869 Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, bound with 1872 Through the Looking Glass

An unpublished three-page manuscript letter to "Kathleen", from Lewis Carroll, is tipped in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1869, twelfth thousand), which is bound as a set with Through the Looking Glass (1872, first edition); also, an 1871 Christmas bi-fold publication of Carroll's is tipped in the 1869 Alice's.

In the letter, Carroll explains a riddle to Kathleen, the answer being "walking-stick".

Research using exact word searches, terms, A.I. and scanned online books/periodicals, did not return a matching riddle of the period.

Also, using the same techniques, no published record of this letter is found. In respect to that, we are not sharing the second and third page of the letter, leaving that privilege to the future owner.

In 1979, a letter from Carroll to Kathleen Harriet Tidy was published, but it was regarding a pen knife. Carroll had photographed this Kathleen, mentioning the session in his diary; the photo is celebrated today because Kathleen was enveloped in branches, a unique setting for the period. Christie's speculated that Kathleen Tidy was likely the same Kathleen this letter addresses.

Provenance -

Victorian-era letter from Carroll to Kathleen tipped in.

Modern bookplate of a David Tevelle Schiff.

Sold at Christie's auction 23736, 2025.

Bibliographic Details -

The 1869 Alice's Adventures..., twelfth thousand, is regarded as the 6th edition.

The 1872 Through the Looking Glass... with "wade" error in the Jabberwocky poem but other errors corrected, is regarded as a later printing of the first edition.

Physical Attributes -

Set measures approx. 19 x 13 x 5.5 cm.

Cloth covered slipcase with ribbon.

Red morocco bindings by Bayntun (signed). Front boards with gilt characters from the works and framed by double gilt fillet. Spines with five raised bands; title and author in gilt in two compartments, other compartments with gilt motifs rabbits, cards, lion rampant and florets. Date in gilt at base of each spine. Board edges rolled with gilt pointille decoration. All edges gilt. Turn-ins ruled in gilt, with corner florets. Marbled endpapers.

Original cloth from bindings bound at rear of each volume.

Illustrated.

Pages:

1869 - xii, 192

1872 - xii, 224, (4 - ad leaf and colophon)

Collation:

1869 - A4, b2, B-Z4, AA-BB4

1872 - A6, B-R8, Q2

Condition -

See pictures. Beautiful set. Slight darkening to spines. Light crazing along 1869 front joint.

Slight toning and occasional fox through both, as common to 19th c. paper.

1869 - Large bookplate on pastedown of 1869. Letter and Christmas 1871 publication tipped into 1869. Letter originally folded with crease lines. A little dust in some gutters. 1/2 title with a 1" repair just along fore-edge. Some light thumbing throughout. Light graphite "8" at bottom edge of 1. Light errant graphite mark 32. Bottom edge margin of Q3 with repair, marginal only and small. Graphite 36/2 at bottom of last 192. Gilt faded to original cloth.

1872 - bookseller note on 1st blank leaf. ";" at bottom of page 1. B3-4 with small dog-ear at bottom corner. Colophon bottom corner with dog-ear crease (straight now). Gilt faded to original cloth.

Slipcase with a few imperfections and signs of light wear.