Always enjoyed Alice in Wonderland -- such a well put together and entertaining story.

This was my first read of "Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There." I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the original -- perhaps because I'm not familiar with chess so the nuances were lost on me.

Gardner's annotations to the text (and the original illustrations) are sometimes fascinating and sometimes a little silly. However, they definitely added to the reading by shining a little more light onto Carroll and his inspiration for certain passages. ( )

D-This book is essential reading for Lewis Carroll fans. ( )

Excellent version of the Alice books with notes by Martin Gardner throughout, pointing out interesting trivia, discussing wordplay, cross-referencing other sources, etc. It made rereading this a fresh experience. ( )

This is the only book in my collection to be tagged both 'fiction' and 'non-fiction'. It's a fascinating addition to Alice. There are all kinds of snippets of information and the original version of all the poems that Lewis was parodying. It gives historical and cultural information as well as looking at the derivations of Lewis's portmanteau words.

Do NOT read this volume if you just want to settle down with the story - you'll get lost in the anecdotes. Have a copy of 'Alice in Wonderland 'as well as the Annotated Alice. ( )

It's a classic that everyone should read for cultural literacy if nothing else. I'm imaginative but this story never grabbed me - not as a kid, and not now. ( )

The extremely long annotation in Through the Looking Glass about infinite regress....GREAT CAESAR'S GHOST! And I mean that in a good way. ( )

http://pdatti.multiply.com/reviews/it... ( )

The Annotated Alice is a well-written guide to the world down the rabbit-hole and through the looking glass. Martin Gardner provides commentary and trivia about Carroll's inspirations, characters, and puzzles. I was surprised to learn that the poems of many of the creatures Alice meets in Wonderland are parodies of other works. For example, "You Are Old, Father William," that irreverent nonsense poem quoted by the Caterpillar, is based on Robert Southey's "long-forgotten didactic poem, "The Old Man's Comforts and How He Gained Them."

I also appreciated the blow-by-blow explanation of the chess moves in Through the Looking Glass. Although it may seem that reading the annotated version of anything is a homework assignment, I flew through this book because Gardner approaches Alice with such humor and insight. Fans of Wonderland will find that this work will increase their appreciation of Carroll's timeless fantasy. Recommended. ( )

I have an older copy of this book. There have been quite a few publications! ( )

Alice is one of my favorite works of all times. I found the book profoundly influential as a child, providing as it did a entry into the world of Victorian literature and history, to say nothing of the sheer delight and humor of the piece. The annotated version is quite helpful to make sense of the more obsure elements. ( )

The more I understand something, the more wonder is engendered. (As Socrates remarks somewhere, wonder is the beginning of philosophy.) Gardner does a fantastic job of delving into every crevice of Wonderland; Siouxsie would be pleased.