Alice in Wonderland - 2 CD Audio Book - NEW- FREE Post

The story of Alice in Wonderland began when the Reverend Charles Dodgson and his friend Robinson Duckworth rowed in a boat up the River Thames with the three Liddell sisters: Lorina (aged 13), Alice (aged 10) and Edith (aged 8). To while away the time during the eight-kilometre journey, Dodgson told the girls a story that, not so coincidentally, featured a bored little girl named Alice who goes looking for an adventure. The three girls loved it, and Alice Liddell asked Dodgson to write it down for her. He eventually did so and gave Alice the first manuscript of what he called Alice's Adventures Under Ground.  Later, he printed a more elaborate copy by hand, illustrated it, and presented it to Alice as a Christmas present. On the advice of a friend, whose children had also loved the story, Dodgson expanded the manuscript and submitted it for publication, under the pseodonym "Lewis Carroll".

The initial print run of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland sold out quickly. From the beginning, Alice was a publishing sensation, beloved by children and adults alike.  It has been translated into more than 50 languages and has never been out of print.

There have also been many movie versions of the story. The most popular has been the Disney cartoon movie (1951) but there have also been several live-action movies.  The best known are the British version made in 1972, and the U.S. version made for TV in 1999. 

About the author

Lewis Carroll (real name Charles Dodgson) was born 27 January 1832 in Warrington, Cheshire; the third of 11 children.

 He had a precocious intellect and at the age of seven was already reading the works of Charles Dickens.  At the age of 13 he was sent to the prestigious Rugby school, where, although he was not happy, he excelled with apparent ease.  He then went on to Oxford where his clear brilliance as a mathematician won him the Christ Church Mathematical Lectureship, which he continued to hold for 26 years. 

In 1856, Dodgson took up what was then a new art form, photography, and eventually came to be considered one of the best photographers of his era.  Many of his photographic subjects were young girls (including Alice Liddell, the inspiration for this story).

He suffered from a chronic stammer that troubled him although it was never bad enough to stop him using his other qualities to do well in Victorian society.

His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the comic poem The Hunting of the Snark, and the nonsense poem Jabberwocky.  He also published many mathematical papers and books under his own name.  His facility at word play, logic, and fantasy has delighted audiences ranging from the most naïve to the most sophisticated, ever since this book was first published.

Charles Dodgson died on 14 January 1898.

About the narrators

Shane Sody was, for 18 years, a professional broadcaster on some of Australia’s best-known commercial radio stations.

 
He has also been a part-time dramatic and comic actor (including Shakespearean roles) with local theatre companies in Sydney and the Gold Coast.  But it was his consistent and award-winning performances on radio that made him so well known to hundreds of thousands of Australian listeners from 1979 to 1997.  

As a newsreader on Sydney’s 2GB and 2UE, later as news director and current affairs commentator on Adelaide’s radio 5AD and 5DN, Shane Sody established a reputation as one of Australia’s authoritative radio voices.  He has been narrating and producing audio books for sale on eBay since March 2005.

Ashleigh Edwards (who plays Alice, and also supplies the flute music on this recording) is a student who loves horses, music and reading.