Readers of the second Alice story, Through The Looking Glass, might remember the Old Sheep Shop.

As inspiration for the story (and rendered famously in John Tenniel’s illustration above), this shop was where the real life Alice would buy sweets and other treats. Today this is a popular visitor’s spot, The Alice Shop in Oxford, located just outside of Christ Church College on St. Aldate’s. You can find a nice description of the shop’s history here. Just as the story goes, the shop is “full of all manner of curious things” — including clever little items such as Mad Hatter Tea, White Rabbit pocket watches, and bottles that say “Drink Me.” And yes, I bought some of the tea.

Here are a few very special photos. Below is the original, handwritten and illustrated version of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland from Lewis Carroll, given to Alice Liddell, as well as the original woodcuts that illustraot John Tenniel used to create his iconic Alice images. Simply amazing.

Next, some pictures of the famed “rabbit hole staircase” at the rear of the dining hall in Christ Church. As legend has it, this  narrow, winding staircase was the imaginative inspiration for what Lewis Carroll would later transform into Alice’s floating fall through to Wonderland. Not something you can see on the tour.

(Thanks Ilmo and Hayzell for the use of these fantastic photos!)

In anticipation of Alice Day in Oxford next month, I’ll be sharing some special Alice in Wonderland pictures from around Oxford.

Christ Church College might properly be thought of as the birthplace of Alice in Wonderland, where mathematician Charles Dodgson (pen name: Lewis Carroll) first met the real life Alice, Alice Liddell. Various locations around the college were inspiration for Carroll’s ideas in the Alice stories. The Alice Tree can be found in the garden of Christ Church. Legend has it, the tree’s mysterious shadows helped Carroll dream up the idea of a grinning Chesire Cat. Other versions of Alice folklore also suggest that this ancient tree with its sprawling branches was the inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s famous nonsense poem,  ”Jabberwocky” (the tree is also sometimes known as the Jabberwocky Tree). Fact or fiction? Have a look at the pictures for yourself.

The Alice Tree in Christ Church's garden.

Its shadows and branches inspired --

Chesire cats ...

and Jabberwockies.

I will be giving a talk this Friday, June 4 on digital books and issues of copyright at the Oxford English Postgraduate Conference. (Click on the image below to go to the Oxford English Department’s website announcement).

[Update: the full conference schedule and program is available. Click here to check it out].

Oxford English Postgraduate Conference

Phillip Pullman will also be taking part in a discussion during the latter part of the conference, which promises to be a very interesting event. You can click on the image below to visit the conference website with a bit more information:

Mis/Appropriation Conference

My talk will be at 2:10pm and at 3:10pm I will be chairing a panel of speakers, on the interesting topics of the ethics and experience of time and space in reading (link goes to the full schedule online):

Conference Schedule

Will post some excerpts from the conference later!