Rarest edition of Alice in Wonderland goes on show, plus five to see for World Book Day

This article originally appeared on Culture24.

The withdrawn first edition of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is going on a one-day public display for World Book Day. Here are five exhibitions to see

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh, March 5

The rarest edition of Alice’s escapades is going on public display for one day only. This edition was withdrawn after the illustrator, John Tenniel, complained about the quality of the printed illustrations, and only 22 copies of the 1865 edition are thought to exist (one of them, Lewis Carroll’s working copy, sold for £1 million at auction in New York 17 years ago). Two copies of the 1866 second edition – the one sold to the public – will also be on show.

Amy Sterly and Thom Snell: Sound Books, Oriel Davies Gallery, Powys, March 7 – May 13

Printmaker and sculptor Sterly and video artist and musician Snell explore the tactile nature of books in this collaboration, enveloping the gallery walls in books animated by moving air which makes them rustle and flicker. The artists, who both live on the Welsh-English border, want to highlight the diminishing physical representation of beautiful books.

Ingenious Impressions: The Coming of the Book, Hunterian Art Gallery, Glasgow, until June 21 2015

The University of Glasgow holds Scotland’s largest collection of Incunabula – early printed books produced during the 50 years following the invention of printing in the mid-15th century. More than 30,000 editions were published in small print runs, with between eight and 20 million books thought to have been printed before 1501.

The Alice Look, V&A Museum of Childhood, London, May 2 – November 1

This year is the 150th anniversary of the first publication of the rabbit hole-delver’s journey. The Museum of Childhood takes an expansive view: look out for illustrations, early editions, contemporary Alice-inspired fashion (Gwen Stefani, Avril Lavigne and Aerosmith among the suitors) and the varying representations of our heroine around the world.

Treasures of the British Library, British Library, London

The focus this year is on the library’s Law, Liberty, Legacy exhibition, which opens on March 13 and marks the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta with significant loans from Canterbury Cathedral. But the permanent galleries are worthy of repeat visits in any year, containing rare gems such as William Blake’s notebook draft of The Chimney Sweeper, for Songs of Experience in 1794 (above).

• Visit worldbookday.com.

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Source: http://www.culture24.org.uk//history-and-heritage/literature-and-music/art519937-rarest-edition-of-alice-in-wonderland-goes-on-show-plus-five-to-see-for-world-book-day