Bestselling author, pioneering photographer, mathematical don and writer of nonsense verse, Lewis Carroll remains a source of continuing fascination. Though many have sought to understand this complex man he remains for many an enigma. Now leading international authority, Edward Wakeling, offers his unique appraisal of the man born Charles Dodgson but whom the world knows best as Lewis Carroll, author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. This new biography of Carroll presents a fresh appraisal based upon his social circle. Contrary to the claims of many previous authors, Carroll's circle was not child centred: his correspondence was enormous, numbering almost 100,000 items at the time of his death, and included royalty and many of the leading artists, illustrators, publishers, academics, musicians and composers of the Victorian era. Edward Wakeling draws upon his personal database of nearly 6,000 letters, mostly never before published, to fill the gaps left by earlier biographies and resolve some of the key myths that surround Lewis Carroll, such as his friendships with children and his drug-taking. Meticulously researched and based upon a lifetime's study of the man and his work, this important new work will be essential reading for scholars and admirers of one of the key authors of the Victorian age.

This biography, subtitled The Original Scandalous Biography by Carroll's nephew, was written by Carroll's nephew and published only 11 months after his death in December 1898. It accidentally started the entire image of Lewis Carroll as a pedophile by deliberately suppressing all the evidence for his sometimes unconventional relationships with women, explaining that some of those women had been little girls... The Victorians had no concept of our modern idea of pedophilia. In fact, a man who loved pre-pubescent girls was considered especially saintly and innocent, and this was why Collingwood over-emphasized this aspect of his uncle's character so much. Stuart Dodgson Collingwood (1870–1937) was an English clergyman and headmaster. He wrote two books about his uncle, Lewis Carroll.

The Life and Letters of Lewis Carroll (1898) is an anthology of letters and biographical information about Lewis Carroll compiled by his nephew, Stuart Dodgson Collingwood. It presents the life history of the author, highlighting not only his literary achievements but also his personal relationships. The work includes illustrations and snapshots and sheds light on Carrol's his interest in logic, mathematics, and literature for children.