 Welcome to the British Library and we're here in the story garden run by our friend's global generation and it's here in the library's back yard. Now it's 150 years since the publication of Lewis Carroll's Alice sequel through the Looking Glass. The original Alice manuscript is of course in the library so we're very excited about this. Not least because we have Chris Riddell joining us to share his newly illustrated work. We also have the frabulous voice of actor Sam West so please join me through the Looking Glass. Hello I'm Chris Riddell and I just illustrated through the Looking Glass and what Alice found there and we're going to hear some wonderful readings by Sam West from the book. It includes a couple of my absolute favourite poems by Lewis Carroll and we're here in the story garden of the British Library. I'm really looking forward to sketching the characters as Sam reads. I've got a sharpened pencil at the ready. The first character we're going to meet is the wonderful Humpty Dumpty, great big egg teetering on top of a wall in the middle of a wood and Alice reaches this square of the chess board and looks up and there is Humpty looking down at her and she recognizes him as a sort of familiar fairytale character. Humpty Dumpty knows everything as you'll find out. Humpty Dumpty. However the egg only got larger and larger and more human. When she had come within a few yards of it she saw that it had eyes and a nose and mouth and when she had come close to it she saw clearly that it was Humpty Dumpty himself. It can't be anybody else she said to herself I'm a certain of it as if his name were written all over his face. It might have been written a hundred times easily on that enormous face. Humpty Dumpty was sitting with his legs crossed like a Turk on the top of a high wall. Such a narrow one that Alice quite wondered how he could keep his balance and as his eyes were steadily fixed in the opposite direction and he didn't take the least notice of her she thought he must be a stuffed figure after all. And how exactly like an egg he is she said aloud standing with her hands ready to catch him for she was every moment expecting him to fall. It's very provoking Humpty Dumpty said after a long silence looking away from Alice as he spoke. To be called an egg very. I said you looked like an egg sir Alice gently explained and some eggs are very pretty you know she added hoping to turn her remark into a sort of a compliment. Some people said Humpty Dumpty looking away from her as usual have no more sins than a baby. Alice didn't know what to say to this it wasn't at all like conversation she thought as he never said anything to her in fact his last remark was evidently addressed to a tree so she stood and softly repeated to herself Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall Humpty Dumpty had a great fall all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty Dumpty in his place again that last line is much too long for the poetry she added almost out loud forgetting that Humpty Dumpty would hear her. Don't stand there chattering to yourself like that Humpty Dumpty said looking at her for the first time but tell me your name and your business. My name is Alice but it's a stupid enough name Humpty Dumpty interrupted impatiently. What does it mean? Must a name mean something? Alice asked doubtfully. Of course it must. Humpty Dumpty said with a short laugh. My name means the shape I am and a good handsome shape it is too. With a name like yours you might be any shape almost. Why do you sit out here all alone said Alice not wishing to begin an argument. Why because there's nobody with me cried Humpty Dumpty. Did you think I didn't know the answer to that? Ask another. Don't you think you'd be safer down on the ground Alice went on not with any idea of making another riddle but simply in her good-natured anxiety for the queer creature that wall is so very narrow. What tremendously easy riddles you ask Humpty Dumpty growled out. Of course I don't think so. Why if I ever did fall off. Which there's no chance of but if I did. Here he pursed his lips and looked so solemn and grand that Alice could hardly help laughing. If I did fall he went on. The king has promised me with his very own mouth to to to send all his horses and all his men. Alice interrupted rather unwisely. Now I declare that's too bad. Humpty Dumpty cried breaking into a sudden passion. You've been listening at doors or behind trees and down chimneys or you couldn't have known it. I haven't indeed Alice said very gently. It's in a book. Oh well they may write such things in a book. Humpty Dumpty said in a calmer tone. That's what you call a history of England that is. Now take a good look at me. I'm one that has spoken to a king. I am. May Hap you'll never see such another. And to show you I'm not proud you may shake hands with me. And he grinned almost from ear to ear as he leant forwards and as nearly as possible fell off the wall in doing so and offered Alice his hand. She watched him a little anxiously as she took it. If he smiled much more the ends of his mouth might meet behind she thought and then I don't know what would happen to his head. I'm afraid it would come off. Yes all his horses and all his men. Humpty Dumpty went on. They'd pick me up again in a minute. They would. Humpty Dumpty really did seem confident that all the king's horses and all the king's men would come along. I don't know about you but the way he was balancing on that wall was very precarious. I'm just saying now we're going to meet another royal character. This is the white queen. She has been running across the landscape chasing her shawl that is seems to have a life of its own. Luckily Alice is in the right chest square to catch the shawl and give it back to the white queen who is really quite flustered as you'll find out. The white queen. She caught the shawl as she spoke and looked about for the owner. In another moment the white queen came running wildly through the wood with both arms stretched out wide as if she were flying and Alice very severely went to meet her with the shawl. I'm very glad I happened to be in the way Alice said as she helped her to put on her shawl again. The white queen only looked at her in a helpless frightened sort of way and kept repeating something in a whisper to herself that sounded like bread and butter, bread and butter. And Alice felt that if there was to be any conversation at all she must manage it herself. So she began rather timidly. Am I addressing the white queen? Well yes if you call that addressing the queen said it isn't my notion of the thing at all. Alice thought it would never do to have an argument at the very beginning of their conversation so she smiled and said if your majesty will only tell me the right way to begin I'll do it as well as I can. But I don't want it done at all. Grown the poor queen. I've been addressing myself for the past two hours. It would have been all the better as it seemed to Alice if she had got someone else to dress her she was so dreadfully untidy. Every single thing's crooked Alice thought to herself and she's all over pins. May I put your shawl straight for you? She added aloud. I don't know what's the matter with it. The queen said in a melancholy voice it's out of temper I think I've pinned it here and I've pinned it there but there's no pleasing it. It can't go straight you know if you pin it all on one side Alice said as she gently put it right for her and dear me what a state your hair is in. The brush has got entangled in it the queen said with a sigh and I lost the comb yesterday. Alice carefully released the brush and did her best to get the hair into order. Come you look rather better now. She said after altering most of the pins but really you should have a lady's maid. I'm sure I'll take you with pleasure the queen said. Tuppence a week and jam every other day. Alice couldn't help laughing as she said I don't want you to hire me and I don't care for jam. It's very good jam said the queen. Well I don't want it today at any rate. You couldn't have it if you did want it the queen said the rule is jam tomorrow and jam yesterday but never jam today. It must come sometimes to jam today Alice objected. No it can't said the queen it's jam every other day today isn't any other day you know. I don't understand you said Alice it's dreadfully confusing. That's the effect of living backwards the queen said kindly. It always makes one a little giddy at first. Living backwards Alice repeated in great astonishment. I never heard of such a thing but there's one great advantage to it that one's memory works both ways. I'm sure mine only works one way Alice remarked. I can't remember things before they happen. It's a poor sort of memory that only works backwards the queen remarked. What sort of things do you remember best Alice ventured to ask. Oh things that happened the week after next the queen replied in a careless tone. For instance now she went on sticking a large piece of plaster on her finger as she spoke. There's the king's messenger he's in prison now being punished and the trial doesn't even begin till next Wednesday and of course the crime comes last of all. Suppose he never commits the crime said Alice. Well that would be all the better wouldn't it the queen said as she bound the plaster around her finger with a bit of ribbon. Alice felt there was no denying that. Of course it would be all the better she said but it wouldn't be all the better his being punished. Oh you're wrong there at any rate said the queen were you ever punished? Only for faults said Alice and you were all the better for it I know. The queen said triumphantly. Yes but then I had done the things I was punished for said Alice that makes all the difference but if you hadn't done them the queen said that would have been better still better and better and better. Her voice went higher with each better till it got quite to a squeak at last. Alice was just beginning to say there's a mistake somewhere when the queen began screaming so loud that she had to leave the sentence unfinished. Shout at the queen shaking her hand about as if she wanted to shake it off. My finger's bleeding. Oh oh oh oh. Her screams were so exactly like the whistle of a steam engine that Alice had to hold both her hands over her ears. What is the matter? She said as soon as there was a chance of making herself heard have you pricked your finger? I haven't pricked it yet the queen said but I soon shall oh oh oh. When do you expect to do it? Alice asked feeling very much inclined to laugh. When I fasten my shawl again the poor queen groaned out. The brooch will come undone directly. Oh oh oh. As she said the words the brooch flew open and the queen clutched wildly at it and tried to clasp it again. Take care cried Alice you're holding it all crooked and she caught at the brooch but it was too late. The pin had slipped and the queen had pricked her finger. That accounts for the bleeding you see she said to Alice with a smile. Now you understand the way things happened here but why don't you scream now? Alice asked holding her hands ready to put over her ears again. Why I've done all the screaming already said the queen. What would be the good of having it all over again? I love the idea of jam yesterday and jam tomorrow but never jam today. Wonderful. 150 years ago Sir John Tenniel the great Victorian illustrator illustrated Alice's adventures in Wonderland and of course we know all those pictures the mad hatter, the white rabbit, the queen of hearts. It was such a success that of course Lewis Carroll wanted him to illustrate the follow-up which is through looking glass and what Alice found there and Tenniel was very busy as illustrators can do. He was also a cartoonist and he worked for Punch and that was his other job. Now all these years later I was asked to illustrate Alice's adventures in Wonderland and I was very excited and a little bit daunted to follow in my hero's footsteps but I said yes because I knew that if you illustrate Alice's adventures in Wonderland you're going to be asked to illustrate through the looking glass which is in fact I think my favorite of the two books and it's my favorite because it has some of the great poems that Lewis Carroll ever wrote the Jabberwocky, the Warress and the Carpenter, wonderful wonderful poems that I just really wanted to illustrate so it was fantastic to be asked to to illustrate through the looking glass all these years later. Alice's adventures in Wonderland is a summer book. Alice has gone on a wonderful journey on on the river and been told a story it's the middle of the summer she's sleepy she sees the white rabbit going down the rabbit hole and that is her way into Wonderland through the looking glass is different it's a winter book Alice is inside and is by the fireside and she looks up at the mirror on the wall and sees the room reflected back at her and wonders what it might be like on the other side of the glass so she steps through the looking glass into another world and very soon is in the looking glass garden talking to flowers and wandering across a checkerboard landscape that resembles a chess game and that's the construct behind through the looking glass and it's a construct that I really enjoy there's a strange logic that gets turned on its head all the time the white queen is traveling back through time Humpty Dumpty says that words mean exactly what he wants them to mean neither more nor less and of course the whole book starts with one of the great nonsense poems ever written The Jabberwocky I've found so much in through the looking glass to get my teeth into quite literally as as an illustrator wonderful scenes to draw including one that sometimes gets overlooked and it's just an aside towards the end of the book where Alice is sitting at a great big dinner right at the end of Banquet and on one side is the white queen on the other side is the red queen Alice in the middle and they're having a conversation and the white queen talks about a thunderstorm that came to the palace and rattled all the windows and just after that she remembers it was a Tuesday and just after that Humpty Dumpty turns up wanting to have a word with the fishes he's holding a corkscrew and Alice says that's very strange what was he after and she says well Humpty wanted to meet the hippopotamus but it was a Tuesday and Alice says well is the hippopotamus not there on Tuesday he said no no it's it's it's a Thursday the hippopotamus comes along there is a Thursday hippopotamus in through the looking glass it's an illustration I had to draw towards the end we don't often hear about the Thursday hippopotamus he could be a very important character well after the wonderful reading of the white queen and her hairstyle we're going to meet two twins they're rather round and I think they might be privately educated I couldn't say but two schoolboys in a wood standing beneath a tree Alice meets them and wants directions as we'll find out Tweedledum and Tweedledee and the walrus and the carpenter they were standing under a tree each with an arm round the other's neck and Alice knew which was which in a moment because one of them had dum embroidered on his collar and the other D I suppose they've each got Tweedle round at the back of the collar she said to herself they stood so still that she quite forgot they were alive and she was just looking around to see if the word Tweedle was written at the back of each collar when she was startled by a voice coming from the one marked dumb if you think we're waxworks he said you ought to pay you know waxworks weren't meant to be looked at for nothing know how contrary wise added the one marked D if you think we're alive you ought to speak I'm sure I'm very sorry was all Alice could say for the words of the old song kept ringing through her head like the ticking of a clock and she could hardly help saying them out loud Tweedledum and Tweedledee agreed to have a battle for Tweedledum said Tweedledee had spoiled his nice new rattle just then flew down a monstrous crow as black as a tar barrel which frightened both the heroes so they quite forgot their quarrel I know what you're thinking about said Tweedledum but it isn't so know how contrary wise continued Tweedledee if it was so it might be and if it were so it would be but as it isn't it ain't that's logic I was thinking Alice said very politely which is the best way out of this wood it's getting so dark would you tell me please but the little men only looked at each other and grinned they looked so exactly like a couple of great school boys that Alice couldn't help pointing her finger at Tweedledum and saying first boy know how Tweedledum cried out briskly and shut his mouth up again with a snap next boy said Alice passing on to Tweedledee though she felt quite certain he would only shout out contrary wise and so he did you've been wrong cried Tweedledum the first thing in a visit is to say how'd you do and shake hands and here the two brothers gave each other a hug and then they held out the two hands that were free to shake hands with her Alice did not like shaking hands with either of them first for fear of hurting the other one's feelings so as the best way out of the difficulty she took hold of both hands at once the next moment they were dancing round in a ring this seemed quite natural she remembered afterwards and she was not even surprised to hear music playing it seemed to come from the tree under which they were dancing and it was done as well as she could make it out by the branches rubbing one across the other like fiddles and fiddle sticks but it certainly was funny Alice said afterwards when she was telling her sister the history of all this to find myself singing here we go around the mulberry bush I don't know when I began it but somehow I felt as if I'd been singing it for a long long time the other two dancers were fat and very soon out of breath four times round is enough for one dance Tweedledum panted out and they left off dancing as soon as they had begun the music stopped at the same moment then they let go of Alice's hands and stood looking at her for a minute there was a rather awkward pause as Alice didn't know how to begin a conversation with people she had just been dancing with it would never do to say how do you do now she said to herself we seem to have got beyond that somehow I hope you're not much tired she said at least know how and thank you very much for asking said Tweedledum so much obliged added Tweedlede you like poetry yes pretty well some poetry Alice said doubtfully would you tell me which road leads out of the wood what shall I repeat to her said Tweedlede looking round at Tweedledum with great solemn eyes and not noticing Alice's question the walrus and the carpenter is the longest Tweedledum replied giving his brother an affectionate hug Tweedlede began instantly the sun was shining here Alice ventured to interrupt him if it's very long she said as politely as she could would you please tell me first which road Tweedlede smiled gently and began again the sun was shining on the sea shining with all his might he did his very best to make the billows smooth and bright and this was odd because it was the middle of the night the moon was shining sulkily because she thought the sun had got no business to be there after the day was done it's very rude of him she said to come and spoil the fun the sea was wet as wet could be the sands were dry as dry you could not see a cloud because no cloud was in the sky no birds were flying overhead there were no birds to fly the walrus and the carpenter were walking close at hand they wept like anything to see such quantities of sand if this were only cleared away they said it would be grand if seven maids with seven mobs swept it for half a year do you suppose the walrus said that they could get it clear I doubt it said the carpenter and shed a bitter tear oh oysters come and walk with us the walrus did beseech a pleasant walk a pleasant talk along the briny beach we cannot do with more than four to give a hand to each the eldest oyster looked at him but never a word he said the eldest oyster winked his eye and shook his heavy head meaning to say he did not choose to leave the oyster bed but four young oysters hurried up all eager for the treat their coats were brushed their faces washed their shoes were clean and neat and this was odd because you know they hadn't any feet four other oysters followed them and yet another four and thick and fast they came at last and more and more and more all hopping through the frothy waves and scrambling to the shore the walrus and the carpenter walked on a mile or so and then they rested on a rock conveniently low and all the little oysters stood and waited in a row the time has come the walrus said to talk of many things of shoes and ships and sealing wax of cabbages and kings and why the sea is boiling hot and whether pigs have wings but wait a bit the oyster said before we have our chat for some of us are out of breath and all of us are fat no hurry said the carpenter they thanked him much for that a loaf of bread the walrus said is what we chiefly need pepper and vinegar besides are very good indeed now if you're ready oysters dear we can begin to feed but not on us the oysters cried turning a little blue after such kindness that would be a dismal thing to do the night is fine the walrus said do you admire the view it was so kind of you to come and you are very nice the carpenter said nothing but cut us another slice i wish you were not quite so deaf i've had to ask you twice it seems a shame the walrus said to play them such a trick after we brought them out so far and made them trot so quick the carpenter said nothing but the butter spread too thick i weep for you the walrus said i deeply sympathize with sobs and tears he sorted out those of the largest size holding his pocket handkerchief before his streaming eyes oh oysters said the carpenter you've had a pleasant run shall we be trotting home again but answer came there none and that was scarcity odd because they'd eaten everyone those poor oysters my goodness they had washed their faces they had brushed their coats and they had lovely lovely shoes on even though they had no feet as an illustrator that was a challenge i've got to say and i attempted to get over that by giving each of the oysters a pair of stilts so that they could wear their shoes on the end of stilts that way they could still look very smart for their walk along the beach next is a wonderful reading of my favorite poem in the entire book it's called jabberwocky jabberwocky twas brilliant and the slithy toes did guire and gimbal in the wabe all mimsy were the borrigoves and the momeraths outgrabe beware the jabberwock my son the jaws that bite the claws that catch beware the jub jub bird and shun the frumius band a snatch he took his vorpal sword in hand long time the manks and foe he sought so rested he by the tum tum tree and stood a while in thought and as in uffish thought he stood the jabberwock with eyes of flame came whiffling through the tulji wood and burbled as it came one two one two and through and through the vorpal blade went snicker snack he left it dead and with its head he went glumping back and hast thou slain the jabberwock come to my arms my beamish boy oh frabjus day collu collay he chortled in his joy it was brilliant and the slithy toes did guire and gimbal in the wabe all mimsy were the borrigoves and the momeraths outgrabe the vorpal blades gone snicker snack we have run out of time it really did go very fast although i'm not sure whether that would be the same for the white queen because of course for her time goes backwards anyway we've come to the end of a lovely visit here in the tulji tent in the story garden of the british library and um i've worn out my pencils so uh all i can say in conclusion is collu collay frabjus day thank you very much for joining us here at the british library our thanks to the beautiful story garden to chris redell and to sam west you can buy chris's book right here on the platform please also give us feedback we love to hear from the audience on our events so please do that in the meantime we'll see you at the next british library event