Quotable Alice

by David W. Barber (Editor)

Lewis Carroll's two great Alice stories -- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass -- have entertained and amused both small children and grown adults alike for nearly a century and a half. Set in Victorian England, these wild, remarkable flights of fancy have had a lasting appeal to the world over and are surprisingly modern in their outlook. With Alice's adventures, which take her down a rabbit-hole to Wonderland or through a mirror into a fantastical game of chess, Carroll tells stories that are amusing and witty, but also surprisingly insightful and profound. Many of Carroll's phrases and expressions -- "Curiouser and curiouser," or "Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast" -- have entered the language of everyday use. In Quotable Alice , David W. Barber , whose books include Bach, Beethoven and the Boys and Better Than It A Dictionary of Humorous Musical Quotations , brings together the best and most memorable of Carroll's pithy expressions from the Alice books. With the text is a selection of the famous illustrations John Tenniel created for the original editions.

130 pages, Paperback

First published October 6, 2001

About the author

David W. Barber is a journalist and musician and the author of more than a dozen books of music (including Accidentals on Purpose; Bach, Beethoven and the Boys; When the Fat Lady Sings; and Getting a Handel on Messiah) and literature (including Quotable Sherlock, Quotable Alice and Atonement and other stories). Formerly a writer and entertainment editor of The Kingston Whig-Standard, editor of Broadcast Week magazine at the Toronto Globe and Mail and the assistant editor of arts and life for Postmedia newspapers, he is currently a freelance writer, editor, musician and composer. As a composer, his works include two symphonies, a jazz mass based on the music of Dave Brubeck, a Requiem, several short choral and chamber works and various vocal-jazz songs and arrangements. He sings with the Toronto Chamber Choir and various other choirs on occasion. In a varied career, among his more interesting jobs have been short stints as a roadie for Pope John Paul II, a publicist for Prince Rainier of Monaco and a backup singer for Avril Lavigne.

Learn about his other books at IndentPublishing.com

Reviews

[Stormy · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Curtsey while you're thinking what to say. It saves time." --The Red Queen to Alice