Stephanie Lovett Stoffel

Who knew Timothy Leary did art direction on books after he was dead?

This is a very strange book on a number of counts. First, it is advertised as a book of art pertaining to the Alice books. And, yes, it is full of illustrations that have been used for the Alice books -- but the text isn't about the art; it's about the books themselves, and the philosophical and existential issues they raise. Fine. But then why all the art?

And why all the crazy page layouts? There is actually a page where the text is in two columns, and the two columns overlap. Other pages have holes in the middle of a column of text, so you can't tell if it's one column or two. And the fonts vary from page to page, and sometimes even from word to word, and some of them are very hard to decipher. It's one of the least readable books I've ever seen. The text isn't bad, although it isn't particularly original, but the layout is so obnoxious that I found myself not wanting to read it.

And then there is all the art. I'm not sure how many illustrators are represented, but there are a lot. And the large majority of them have one thing in common: Their work is ugly. Maybe there is a reason for someone to produce new illustrations for Alice -- although I would suggest strongly that Alice was a Victorian girl, and that the Victorian illustrations of Tenniel are ideal for showing that off. But other cultures might want something else. Fair enough. But why hire such poor illustrators? Other than Tenniel, the only illustrators in here whose works I thought in any way noteworthy are Arthur Rackham (who, sadly, is minimally represented) and Greg Hildebrandt (who produces beautiful paintings, but whose works don't really feel like they belong in Alice's strange other-world). Who needs Germaine Bouret's Alice with the facial deformities, or Harry Rountree's Jabberwock who looks like a drunk wearing boots?

Is it possible that Stephanie Lovett Stoffel's text was sitting around with no publisher, and some drug-addled art director had time on his hands and decided to see how psychedelic a book he could produce? It makes more sense than any other explanation I can imagine.… (plus d'informations)

Of all the Lewis Carroll biographies I have read, this is by far the shortest -- especially when you factor in all the many illustrations. (Warning: These include all four of Charles Dodgson's surviving photos of nude girls.) And much of the space is devoted to excerpts from his works. The result is more an essay than a full-length biography.

And yet, that has its advantages. Our knowledge of Charles Dodgson is surprisingly limited; he and his family kept their secrets close. It takes only a medium-length essay to cover the essential materials, and on the whole, Stoffel does it well. The book is well-written, the illustration interesting, and rarely does she go to the extremes of some other biographers. If you are seeking a first biography of Carroll, this is a good place to start.… (plus d'informations)