First published in 1865, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland began as a story told to Alice Liddell and her two sisters on a boating trip in July 1862. The novel follows Alice down a rabbit-hole and into a world of strange and wonderful characters who constantly turn everything upside down with their mind-boggling logic, word play, and fantastic parodies. The sequel, Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, was published in 1871, and was both a popular success and appreciated by critics for its wit and philosophical sophistication.

Along with both novels and the original Tenniel illustrations, this edition includes Carroll's earlier story Alice's Adventures Under Ground. Appendices include Carroll's photographs of the Liddell sisters, materials on film and television adaptations, selections from other "looking-glass" books for children, and "The Wasp in a Wig," an originally deleted section of Through the Looking-Glass.