"One would think that Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is sufficiently delightful and magical on its own. And it is of course it is. After all, how can a story that transcends time be enhanced? Well, wonder of wonder, C.M Rubin with daughter Gabriella have done just that. The Real Alice In Wonderland is chock full of biographical and historical information pertaining to the real Alice - Alice Liddell - And to the long gone Victorian era of her childhood. But a picture is worth a thousand words, and this book also features innumerable photographs and illustrations that serve to detail the interconnected worlds - both of seemingly equal charm - of our two Alice's.
Rubin's Book is an incomparable and indispensable companion piece to the inimitable Lewis Carroll classic. Everyone who loves Alice should have a copy - and that's just about all of us....isn't it?"
Clarence George -- Bookberries
BOOK REVIEWS
"This lavishly illustrated book will please even the most ardent Alice fans and enthusiasts of Victoriana with over 500 never-before-seen illustrations and photographs of Alice Liddell, as well as glorious full-color reproductions of Alice-related art and artifacts provided by some of the finest library and museum collections in the world.
The artwork of such acclaimed and multi-generational artists as Vik Muniz, Annie Liebovitz, Mark Steele, Lizzy Rockwell, Helen Oxenbury, Frances Broomfield, Jeanne Argent, David Cooper, Bruce Fuller, Tatiana Ianovskaia, Jewel, and Tom Otterness provides the ideal complement to the insightful text. Transporting readers back in time, the compelling narrative delves into the life of Alice Liddell, shedding new light on this cultural icon, her relationship with Lewis Carroll, and her impact on subsequent generations. The Real Alice in Wonderland: A Role Model for the Ages is as inspiring as it is enlightening and entertaining."
Meg Parsont for Rizzoli Bookstore
"Who knew there was a girl called Alice Liddell who inspired the greatest of all our children's literature, 'Alice in Wonderland'? Well, anyone who comes across the breathtaking large format book, 'The Real Alice In Wonderland', by C.M. Rubin and Gabriella Rubin, will. It's compelling for what it tells us and powerful because of its smashing graphics. And the roster of great artists, like Annie Leibovitz, Lizzy Rockwell, Tom Otterness and Jewel, among others, who contributed to this work make it a collector's item. It also sets the record straight on Alice's relationship with Lewis Carroll. Yet, it's done in such a classy fashion that, in the end, it adds to the story and the legend."
Larry Rifkin -- Talk of The Town
"For the lover of everything Victorian, The Real Alice in Wonderland, a Role Model for the Ages by C. M. Rubin is a beautiful book. Filled with cut-out vignettes, the book has the impression of a tenderly and lovingly created scrapbook. There are photos of the Liddell sisters taken by Charles Dodgson, the shy Oxford professor of mathematics and amateur photographer, snippets of letters and journals, as well as sketches and watercolors by Alice. The book is a celebration of the complete Alice story, real and imagined."
Paragraphs on Padre Boulevard - Texas
"you are in store for not simply a history, but a journey."
"Filled with new and archival photos of locations integral to their lives, letters from Dodgson to Alice (and vice versa), much of the art and artistry that inspired and/or became part of the Wonderland universe, and much more, the book manages to not only share this grand adventure, but take you along for the ride as well."
"There is bound to be more than enough interest in such a book based on the love of Alice in Wonderland alone, and the recent release of the new film won't hurt that at all."
Marc Eastman -- excerpts from review on www.tv.com
It all began at our school Book Day Workshop
It was like being back in our Book Day workshop all over again. The fact that they managed to bring the vitality to the book that they brought to the Book Day presentation just speaks to their love of the subject. The tour of Alice's life -- her homes, her siblings, and especially her friendship and then "falling out' with Carroll -- feels so immediate! I hadn't realized that Alice was herself an artist and her drawings in "Alice the Artist and Alice the Model" are so captivating. And to think she was the muse to so many people, not just Carroll but photographer Julia Margaret Cameron and the portraitist Sir William Blake Richmond speaks volumes to the kind of hold Alice Liddell the young child and the young woman had on not only her contemporaries but also to the hold she still has on so many readers nearly 150 years later. Wonderfully illustrated with so many interpretations of Alice through the years in illustrations and photographs. The juxtaposition of these images with those of the "real" Alice are wonderful in this beautiful send-up to one of the most beloved "characters" in the body of English literature!
Caroline Bartels Librarian Horace Mann School
I highly recommend the beautiful book The Real Alice in Wonderland: A Role Model for the Ages by Cathy M. Rubin and Gabriella Rubin, to anyone seeking a delightful visual introduction to the real girl and woman who was Alice Liddell. Much more than merely a character in some of the best loved books of all time, Alice was an important and influential person in her own right. The book displays Alice's loves, despair, courage and duty for all to see, in all her marvelous glory.
Read the landmark book The Real Alice in Wonderland: A Role Model for the Ages by Cathy M. Rubin and Gabriella Rubin, and discover for yourself the life and times of one of history's most extraordinary women. Alice Liddell was indeed a remarkable woman, and a wonderful choice as a role model for this or any age.
Wayne Hurlbert -- Blog Business World
Read entire review at http://blogbusinessworld.blogspot.com/2010/07/real-alice-in-wonderland-by-cathy-m.html
The authors, mother and daughter, are descendants of Alice Liddell, the girl who inspired Lewis Carroll to write Alice in Wonderland. When they decided to write a history of both the child and the book, they went all out, and the result is this lovely coffee-table style volume, an inclusive look at all things Alice.
Beginning with a family history that takes readers to Oxford, England, where the Liddell family met
Carroll (Charles Dodgson), they describe the burgeoning friendship. Although the book never questions
the propriety of the relationship between the real Alice and Carroll, it does chronicle its dissolution at the
insistence of Mrs. Liddell, though the reasons for her decision are vague. Still, Carroll and his muse stayed in sporadic touch. The lovely Alice caught the eye of many suitors, and after marriage and motherhood, volunteer work was high on her list of activities, using royalties from a new edition of Alice to fund her charities. Filled with photographs, original artwork, archival material, and set against richly designed pages, this is a browser’s delight that gives both a sense of the times as well as a look at its subjects.
Ilene Cooper -- Booklist
Readers will follow this title down the rabbit hole to discover the world of the real Alice who inspired Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. The book moves seamlessly through the life of Alice Pleasance Liddell from her childhood in the halls of the University of Oxford through her final days as a woman whose name was renowned—yet she had not even considered publishing an autobiography.
The Real Alice in Wonderland is simply lovely. The juxtaposed pictures of everything—from Oxford’s scenery to pictures of Alice to a host of story illustrations—captivate readers and drive the storyline. This is a wonderful treatment of a biography and the format makes it widely accessible.
The information is quite thorough: the reader is guided through Alice’s family life as a child to her lost love with Prince Leopold and her humanitarian efforts. This offering paints a full picture of Alice, not only as the child who has captivated literature, but as a woman who was truly ahead of her time.
This is a purchase that will do well with a range of people and should be offered as a standard accompaniment to Alice in Wonderland. It would do well in a public library as the illustrations and pictures will make it quite popular.
Robbie Flowers -- Voya Magazine
What a delightful book! I couldn’t put it down. The Real Alice in Wonderland provided valuable insight into the life of the real girl who was the inspiration for the main character in Lewis Carroll’s timeless classic. It is evident that the “real Alice” was thoroughly researched and Rubin recounts Alice’s interesting life story with enthusiasm. In addition, the beautiful photographs, illustrations and postcards (set in a scrapbook style) help bring the reader back to Victorian era England – what a treat!
The Real Alice is a perfect companion book to Carroll’s classic story. Brava!
Lisa B. Forman, JD, MLS, Easton Public Library
What better way to celebrate the real Alice of Lewis Carroll’s super-famous story than with a gloriously lush picture book? C. M. Rubin and her daughter, Gabriella, possess the gracious and well-mannered charm of their ancestor, Alice Liddell Hargreaves. Together, they have created a book worthy of serious consideration, especially by adults who cherish their memories of Alice in Wonderland.
This book is highly recommended for the quality of the writing, layout and execution.
Ruta Arellano - Joseph's Reviews
Read entire review at http://josephsreviews.wordpress.com/2010/09/30/i-hope-you-dont-mind/
The Rubins' achievement is in showing how much Alice belongs to all of us.
Joan Baum - National Public Radio
Listen to entire review at http://www.wshu.org/news/story.php?ID=8424
