Lewis Carroll

Lewis Carroll was the pen name of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. He was born in Daresbury, England, in 1832. He wrote Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. This strange and wonderful story has delighted readers for over 150 years.

Early Life

Carroll was a mathematician and lecturer at Oxford University. He loved puzzles, games, and wordplay. He told stories to entertain the children of a friend. One of those children, Alice Liddell, asked him to write the story down.

An old photograph of Lewis Carroll, author of Alice in Wonderland.
An old photograph of Lewis Carroll, author of Alice in Wonderland. (Reginald Southey / Wikimedia Commons)

Big Achievements

Carroll published Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in 1865. He followed it with Through the Looking-Glass. The books are full of nonsense, riddles, and strange characters like the Mad Hatter and the Cheshire Cat. His stories have been adapted into movies, plays, and art around the world.

Fun Facts

  • Carroll was a math professor at Oxford University.
  • He invented the word 'portmanteau' to describe words that combine two words, like smog (smoke + fog).
  • He was also a photographer and took some of the best photographs of the Victorian era.

Did You Know?

Carroll told the Alice story during a boat ride on a summer afternoon. Alice Liddell begged him to write it down. That simple request led to one of the most famous children's books in history.