Selected Poems of Lewis Carroll


Lewis Carroll, the pen-name of Charles Lutwidge Dogson (1832-1898), was a mathematical lecturer at Christ Church, Oxford. Writing poetry, and stories for children, was a sideline ― not his principal wealth-earning occupation. Nevertheless the two books, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking Glass (1871), made him both rich and famous. Throughout his life he read and composed poetry. He enjoyed the poems of key Victorian writers such as Alfred, Lord Tennyson, and Christina Rossetti. From his youth, until the last years of his life, he wrote poetry ― some just humorous nonsense, some filled with hidden meanings, and some serious poems about love and life. His more serious poetry, it must be admitted, is generally less popular than his humorous verse and often over sentimental. However, these new musical settings of his serious poetry may rekindle an interest in them.

Edward Wakeling, The Lewis Carroll Society