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For now, it is enough for the reader to understand that the themes of Through the Looking-Glass are somewhat darker, and reflect upon Carroll’s mindset at this time in his life: the loss of old friends, the hurry of children to grow up (and the further urgency the industrial world puts upon them), hints of death and mortality and the inevitability of Time. There is humor to be found, certainly, and the logical wit of Through the Looking-Glass is even more clever and incisive than that in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. For the reader who is exploring these stories in rapid sequence however, these encroaching themes of darkness will be all the more apparent.

And with that, I welcome you to the train-threaded world of Looking-Glass Land. All aboard, and pleasant journey!

THROUGH THE

LOOKING-GLASS,

AND WHAT

ALICE FOUND THERE

By

LEWIS CARROLL

With Illustrations By

JOHN TENNIEL

THE CHESS PROBLEM

White Pawn (Alice) to play, and win in eleven moves.

Alice, 1st Move: Alice meets Red Queen.

Chessmen, 1st Move: Red Queen to King Rook’s 4th square.

Alice, 2nd Move: Alice through White Queen’s 3rd square (by railway).

Chessmen, 2nd Move: White Queen to Queen Bishop’s 4th square (after shawl).

Alice, 3rd Move: Alice meets White Queen (with shawl).

Chessmen, 3rd Move: White Queen to Queen Bishop’s 5th square (becomes sheep).

Alice, 4th Move: Alice to White Queen’s 5th square (shop, river, shop).

Chessmen, 4th Move: White Queen to King Bishop’s 8th square (leaves egg on shelf).

Alice, 5th Move: Alice to White Queen’s 6th square (Humpty Dumpty).

Chessmen, 5th Move: White Queen to Queen Bishop’s 8th square (flying from Red Knight).

Alice, 6th Move: Alice to White Queen’s 7th square (forest).

Chessmen, 6th Move: Red Knight to Red King’s 2nd square (check).

Alice, 7th Move (White Knight, acting chivalrously on Alice’s behalf): White Knight takes Red Knight.

Chessmen, 7th Move: White Knight to King Bishop’s 5th square.

Alice, 8th Move: Alice to White Queen’s 8th square (coronation).

Chessmen, 8th Move: Red Queen to Red King’s square (examination).

Alice, 9th Move: Alice becomes Queen.

Chessmen, 9th Move: Red and White Queens castle.

Alice, 10th Move: Alice castles (feast).

Chessmen, 10th Move: White Queen to Queen Rook’s 6th square (soup).

Alice, 11th and Final Move: Alice takes Red Queen and wins.

PREFACE TO 1896 EDITION

AS THE CHESS-PROBLEM, given on the previous page, has puzzled some of my readers, it may be well to explain that it is correctly worked out, so far as the moves are concerned. The alternation of Red and White is perhaps not so strictly observed as it might be, and the “castling” of the three Queens is merely a way of saying that they entered the palace; but the “check” of the White King at move 6, the capture of the Red Knight at move 7, and the final “checkmate” of the Red King, will be found, by any one who will take the trouble to set the pieces and play the moves as directed, to be strictly in accordance with the laws of the game.

The new words, in the poem “Jabberwocky,” have given rise to some differences of opinion as to their pronunciation; so it may be well to give instructions on that point also. Pronounce “slithy” as if it were the words “sly, the”: make the “g” hard in “gyre” and “gimble”: and pronounce “rath” to rhyme with “bath.”

For the sixty-first thousand, fresh electrotypes have been taken from the wood-blocks (which, never having been used for printing from, are in as good condition as when first cut in 1871), and the whole book has been set up afresh with new type. If the artistic qualities of this reissue fall short, in any particular, of those possessed by the original issue, it will not be for want of painstaking on the part of author, publisher, or printer.

I take this opportunity of announcing that the Nursery “Alice,” hitherto priced at four shillings, net, is now to be had on the same terms as the ordinary shilling picture-books—although I feel sure that it is, in every quality (except the text itself, in which I am not qualified