A SPECIAL set of stamps has been launched to celebrate Alice in Wonderland turning 150.
The story, written by Oxford professor the Rev Charles Dodgson under the name Lewis Carroll, was first published in 1865.
Now the Royal Mail has asked illustrator Grahame Baker-Smith to draw 10 scenes from the book for a series of commemorative stamps.
The stamps, on sale now, feature characters including the White Rabbit, the Cheshire Cat and Alice herself.
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Andrew Hammond, Royal Mail director of stamps and collectibles, said: “The story of Alice in Wonderland remains a perennial favourite of children, and indeed adults, around the world.
“It is fitting that in its 150th anniversary year it is celebrated with a wonderful set of stamps featuring striking images that do justice to such an iconic tale.”
To coincide with the launch, Walker Books has also created a book based on the stamp artwork.
The story of Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, originally entitled Alice's Adventures Under Ground, came about as a result of a friendship between the Rev Dodgson, a young don at Christ Church, and the dean’s children.
The story of Alice began on the afternoon of July 4, 1862, when the group rowed up the River Isis to Godstow, near Wolvercote.
On the boat trip Dodgson began telling the story of a bored girl named Alice looking for adventure, and the real 10-year-old Alice Liddel asked for it to be written down.
Dodgson did so as a Christmas gift in 1864, along with his own illustrations, and it was published the next year.
One Oxford landmark to appear in Alice’s second adventure, Through the Looking Glass, is The Old Sheep Shop, a grocery shop in St Aldate’s opposite Christ Church, where Alice and her sisters often bought sweets.
Now known as Alice’s Shop, it is a popular tourist spot for fans of Lewis Carroll’s work.
Alice’s Shop’s current owner, Yuki Nakajima, said: “We will have more products specially made for the 150th anniversary and we might also do a special boat trip.”
As well as stamps, the 150th anniversary is being marked by special teas and tours at Christ Church in May and the annual Alice’s Day celebrations across the city on July 4 which attract large crowds of visitors.
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