Of all Lewis Carroll's major works, Alice in Wonderland has a unique standing in that it's whimsical, nonsense literature. Countless essays discuss how this novel contrasts with the vast amount of strict, extremely moralistic children's literature of the Victorian era. Yet this novel is odder still because it was written by an extremely upright, ultra-conservative man -- in short, a quintessential Victorian gentleman.

Since its publishing, Alice has been translated into every major language and has become a perennial best-seller (ranking with the works of Shakespeare and the Bible) in demand. This novel, despite its Victorian roots, is timeless in its appeal.

Explore the illustrated pages of the original manuscript of this quirky classic in a unique online format at the British Library's Turning the Pages Web site. The work is listed under its original title: Alice's Adventures Under Ground. Note that this presentation will work best for those with a high-speed Internet connection.