1885 Macmillan Edition Appraisal

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, 1885 Macmillan Edition

This is an antique printed edition of 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' by Lewis Carroll, significantly featuring forty-two illustrations by John Tenniel. The image shows the title page and a frontispiece illustration of the trial scene before the King and Queen of Hearts. Published in London by Macmillan and Co. in 1885, this edition is noted on the title page as the 'Seventy-Fifth Thousand.' The page construction is typical of late Victorian high-quality trade editions, utilizing black ink on cream-toned paper. The layout features classical serif typography and justified text alignment. Notable features include the intricate wood-engraved illustrations that defined the visual identity of Carroll's characters. The condition appears fair for its age; while the binding is not fully visible, the pages show significant foxing (spotting caused by fungal growth or oxidation of metallic impurities in the paper) and overall yellowing/toning characteristic of 19th-century paper stocks. There are signs of minor edge wear and some potential moisture-related staining in the margins. As a specimen of late 19th-century children's literature, this particular thousandth-printing sequence reflects the immense commercial success of the title following its initial 1865 release.