Welcome, fellow fans of “Alice in Wonderland.” For the whole month of October, an exhibit called “Down the Rabbit Hole: 150 Years of Representing Alice’s Wonderland,” is being held at Scripps College. On Columbia Avenue at Denison Library, the exhibit takes people into the magical world down the rabbit hole. This exhibit celebrates the 150th anniversary of the publication of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” in 1865. Some featured editions of the story, by Lewis Carroll, and illustrated by various artists over 150 years, will be displayed. The theme centers on the universality and the different interpretations of the story by illustrators from many countries.

The very first illustrator of “Alice” was Lewis Carroll, which is the pseudonym chosen by Charles Dodgson, who was the original author of the story. Carroll drew the first character sketches in his manuscript book in 1864. This handwritten manuscript was published in 1886, a copy of that edition is in the exhibit. The second illustrator of “Alice,” and the best known, was John Tenniel, who Carroll selected as illustrator to produce an artistic version of what he could see in his own mind. Tenniel’s work (see accompanying illustrations) appeared in the first published version of the story in 1865. Also featured in the exhibit is a 1969 edition of “Alice,” illustrated by Spanish Surrealist artist, Salvador Dali. Dali famously pictures Alice jumping rope in these illustrations.

“Denison Library owns a large collection of versions of ‘Alice’ featuring a variety of illustrators. When the 150th Anniversary of the first publication of the story grew near, we decided to show off to the community the collection right here at Scripps,” exhibit instructor Judy Harvey-Sahak said.

The exhibit features four large artists’ books as well as several other illustrated books. The core of the collection of the early 20th-century illustrators was part of a major donor’s donation in 1942. Over the years, other donors have gifted significant editions. In the 1980s, the main librarian recognized that the collection was growing, so she made a special effort to locate and acquire editions with different illustrators.

“CHS students should see the exhibit to become aware of the many different versions of the illustrations and the multitude of interpretations of the story. “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” is one of the most widely-illustrated books ever published and remains popular even after 150 years. The appeal is universal and international. Of the four featured artists’ books, one of the illustrators is Spanish, one is American, another is French, and the last is Argentinian. Many British illustrators can also be seen,” Harvey-Sahak said.

This event may be extended to November and will take place all day according to the library’s hours. This event is a great experience that most will enjoy if they are fans of the modern and classical versions of “Alice in Wonderland.”