Rating: 
Summary: Delightful and deep
Review: This book is essential. It contains not only the Alice stories, but enough background to open up whole new aspects of Carroll's work. You won't believe the depths of Gardner's research. It is truly stunning and engaging. A fine, fine work!
Rating:
Summary: Research
Review: This is a wonderful book full of meanings and delightful little side details about Charles Dodgson. This book has the answers to many of your questions about the both Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass; why did he do this, what did he mean by this... It also includes secret meanings, such as a name from one of his friends, or he did this because he had O.C.D. Annotated Alice is perfect for research papers (or reading for one's own pleasure) for it gives you some information on verses, his life...all those major details. For example, did you know that most if not all of his poems were a satire on another well-known nursery rhyme or poem. It is easy to tell in the following nursery rhyme what on what poem Carroll made a satire. Twinkle twinkle little bat How I wonder what you are at Up above the world you fly Like a tea tray in the sky Twinkle twinkle little bat How I wonder what you are at This seems simple enough, but do you know of what rhyme, "Beat Your Baby When He Sneezes" is a parody? The original poem was a song for babies to go to sleep. You will find all this info. and more. Cheers!...
Rating: 
Summary: A MUST HAVE FOR FANS OF TAROT AND/OR ALICE
Review: This is my fifth tarot deck and I have to say that I just love it. It's quite clever to design a deck based on the classic "Alice in Wonderland." Would have rated this deck higher except that it does NOT comes with an instruction book, but rather a quick-and-to-the-point pamphlet that truly simplifies the meanings of the cards. If, however, you are versed in the traditional Ryder-Waite deck then you should have no trouble skipping the pamphlet and using your own intuition. The suits have been reconfigured into flamingoes, oysters, hats, and peppermills, which can be quite confusing. Due to the whimsical nature of the card, you might want to use it for more whimsical readings. But, like I said, if you ARE a fan of tarot decks with unusual design you should DEFINITELY get this deck and use it for those "special" occasions.
Rating:
Summary: A MUST HAVE FOR FANS OF TAROT AND/OR ALICE
Review: This is my fifth tarot deck and I have to say that I just love it. It's quite clever to design a deck based on the classic "Alice in Wonderland." Would have rated this deck higher except that it does NOT comes with an instruction book, but rather a quick-and-to-the-point pamphlet that truly simplifies the meanings of the cards. If, however, you are versed in the traditional Ryder-Waite deck then you should have no trouble skipping the pamphlet and using your own intuition. The suits have been reconfigured into flamingoes, oysters, hats, and peppermills, which can be quite confusing. Due to the whimsical nature of the card, you might want to use it for more whimsical readings. But, like I said, if you ARE a fan of tarot decks with unusual design you should DEFINITELY get this deck and use it for those "special" occasions.
Rating:
Summary: Totally Awesome Book
Review: This to me is like a Nitpickers Guide to the Alice in Wonderland books. It goes through everything. All the poetry used in the stories, that Lewis Carroll had written, plus the chess moves, and what the characters where fashioned after and so on and so on. Not only that it has the original illustrations from the original books. I also like the fact it has all of the movies ever made about Alice in Wonderland in the back of the book. As well as all of the interesting references. The man who wrote this book did an excellent job. He's an expert on Lewis Caroll and everything wonderland. It's a must get for any fan of Lewis Caroll or for the fan who adores a little girl named Alice.
Rating: 
Summary: we are all mad here...
Review: When I drecided to buy a copy of Lewis Carroll's Alice books, I did not expect this. When I saw this book on the middle shelf of the local cain-bookstore, I had to buy it. When I started to read it, I found myself bypassing the notes just to read the book. But, then again, shouldn't that be the way it's done? Anyway, when I went to the bookstore again I bought a copy of the complete works of Lewis Carrol so that I could read his poetry. When I read it I was shocked. There is a whole other alice book not included in the annotated alice. 'Alice's Adventures Underground' is nowhere to be found. This was strange considering the detail and colletiveness given by Mr. Gardener. You would think this would be included. But it is forgiveable. This is something noone should be without.
Rating:
Summary: Like Having Cliff Clavin Reading over Your Shoulder
Review: You're right: I have no one to blame but myself. (Fool me twice, shame on me.) I'd read another book annotated by Gardner before, so I knew something about what his notes were like. Still, I thought, who better to explicate the puns, colloquialisms, and mathematical, logical, and philosophical references in _Alice_ than one of the great polymaths of our time, a connoisseur of puzzles, and an aficionado of Victorian literature? Plus, it's hard to deny that _The Definitive Edition_ is a handsome one. Well, Gardner has really outdone himself this time. The notes go on and on and on, eclipsing the actual text in length. While Clavin might interrupt a conversation on the Bermuda Triangle to point out the little-known fact that it's really shaped like a tetrazidrhomboid, Gardner thinks that when a character uses an idiomatic expression involving ferrets it would be relevant to mention a get-together that ferret owners recently held in New York City's Central Park. Much of the inside information Gardner does provide is along the lines of telling us that this character is based on Alice Liddell's third cousin, once removed, or that that character is named after Dodgson's pet gerbil. I think Gardner may have finally succeeded in turning me off of annotated editions for good.
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