Lewis Carroll

Sonja in a Kingdom of Wonder Lewis Carroll Russian edition

The first Russian translation of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" appeared in Moscow in 1879, fourteen years after the publication of original. It bore the title "Sonja in a Kingdom of Wonder" and was printed by Mamonov's Press. The text was printed in Old Russian orthography, using the old letters (that is, ?, ?, ? after consonant endings, etc.) that were annihilated or changed for the present ones early in the twentieth century. No name of the author, illustrator, or translator appeared on the title page, and the identity of the translator is to this day a matter of speculation. There are now many Russian translations of "Alice", but "Sonja" is the first, and the only one done within Carroll's lifetime, presumably with his knowledge, and there­by must be accorded a place of honour in the canon. This book has been published in two editions: a limited hardcover black-and-white facsimile printed for the Lewis Carroll Society of North America, and this paperback colour facsimile, part of Evertype's ever-growing set of translations of the "Alice" books.