Who was Lewis Carroll?
Lewis Carroll was the pen name of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, an English writer and mathematician who wrote Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. His books are famous for their nonsense, wordplay and imagination.
Dodgson was born in Cheshire in 1832. He studied at Christ Church, Oxford, and stayed there as a lecturer in mathematics.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland began as a story he told to Alice Liddell, the young daughter of the dean of Christ Church, and her sisters during a boat trip on the River Thames in 1862.
Alice in Wonderland
The book was published in 1865 with illustrations by John Tenniel. It features characters such as the White Rabbit, the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter and the Queen of Hearts.
Through the Looking-Glass, published in 1871, includes the poems Jabberwocky and The Walrus and the Carpenter.
Carroll was also a pioneering photographer and wrote books on logic and mathematics.
He died in 1898. Alice in Wonderland has been adapted into many films, including Disney's 1951 animation. Christ Church sells Alice-themed souvenirs, and the Alice's Shop in Oxford is a popular stop.