Childish things

As the publishing industry comes to terms with the latest reports that the book is dead — this time at the hands of a digital revolution — we can count Penguin’s illustrated edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland among the reasons to be optimistic for its future. This latest version of Lewis Carroll’s masterpiece, for which Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama has supplied the artwork, makes full use of every advantage the printed book enjoys over its electronic counterpart and, as such, points the way for publishers fearful of the digital age.
 
The characters and meandering plot of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland will need little introduction to readers of this review, so ingrained into the collective imagination are the heroine’s fantastic escapades. Yet Kusama’s beautifully reproduced surrealist artwork brings a new dimension to the story, reminding us that beneath its reputation as a cut of charming Victoriana is a story about madness, society and estrangement.