Lewis Carroll and Alice in Wonderland

The G. Edward Cassady, M.D. and Margaret Elizabeth Cassady, R.N, Lewis Carroll Collection 

The Cassady collection includes over 3,000 rare books, manuscripts and objects created by or about beloved children’s literature author, mathematician and writer Charles Dodgson, better known by his penn name, Lewis Carroll. Most well known for his first children’s novels, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, Carroll was a nineteenth century, British polymath with works spanning many disciplines, including but not limited to geometry, early photography, politics, logic and puzzles. The collection was donated by USC alum Dr. George Cassady in 2000 and named for his parents. Housed at the University of Southern California’s Doheny Library in the Special Collections department on the second floor, the Cassady collection is open to the public for research throughout the year. The Cassady Collection is searchable through USC Libraries catalog, as well as the Cassady collection bibliography. Requests for materials may be made through your research account.

The Cassady Lewis Carroll collection includes:

  • First editions
  • Translations
  • Artist books
  • Illustrated editions of the ‘Alice’ books and Carroll’s other works by famous artists like Salvador Dali, Barry Moser & Ralph Steadman.
  • Stage and Film adaptations
  • Victorian-era playing cards
  • Pop-up books
  • Letters and manuscripts
  • Critical and reference works on Lewis Carroll
  • Wonderland Award Archive of student work

Visit the Cassady collection research guide

 

Wonderland Award

The Wonderland Award scholarship contest takes place each spring, inviting students from all disciplines at USC and colleges in Southern California, inviting them to create submissions inspired by the Cassady collection and the works of Lewis Carroll. The  Wonderland Award currently has over 400 submissions in its archive. The Wonderland Award submissions archive is housed in USC Libraries Special Collections, and it ranges from written works to multi-media presentations and sculptures made of non-traditional materials. 

Contact:


Special Collections
Doheny Memorial Library, DML 206
University of Southern California
3550 Trousdale Parkway
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0189

Phone: 213-740-5900
Email: specol@usc.edu