# Is "Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There" by Lewis Carroll (Charles L. Dodgson) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll (Charles L. Dodgson) (Macmillan and Co., 1872 (dated 1871)) is identified by: First edition with title page dated 1871 (issued December 1871). The Macmillan edition dated 1871 (issued 1872) is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition with title page dated 1871 (issued December 1871)
- The decisive first-issue point is that page 21 PRESENTS the misprint 'wade' for 'wabe' in the gloss to the 'Jabberwocky' verse; this was corrected to 'wabe' in later printings
- Tenniel illustrations throughout; red cloth gilt
- Catalogued as Williams-Madan-Green-Crutch 84
- Publisher imprint reads Macmillan and Co.
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Lewis Carroll (Charles L. Dodgson) |
| Publisher | Macmillan and Co. |
| Year | 1872 (dated 1871) |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition with title page dated 1871 (issued December 1871) |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition with title page dated 1871 (issued December 1871). The decisive first-issue point is that page 21 PRESENTS the misprint 'wade' for 'wabe' in the gloss to the 'Jabberwocky' verse; this was corrected to 'wabe' in later printings. Tenniel illustrations throughout; red cloth gilt. Catalogued as Williams-Madan-Green-Crutch 84.

## Is this the true first?
The Macmillan edition dated 1871 (issued 1872) is the true first. The first issue HAS 'wade' for 'wabe' on page 21; the presence of this misprint distinguishes the first issue from later corrected printings.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Macmillan printings correct 'wade' to 'wabe' on page 21.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There* by Lewis Carroll (Charles L. Dodgson) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/through-the-looking-glass-and-what-alice-found-there
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.