Astonishing Illustrators VIII

Certainly the most astonishing this round is a deluxe edition by Summa Editorial of Spain. This supersized (16¾×12¾×3 in.) unbound portfolio, housed in a clamshell box and plexiglass case, of sumptously printed pages showcases the extraordinarily detailed, witty, imaginatively neo-cubist illustrations of Felipe Alarcón in thirteen signed giclée prints. (An appendix even includes the apocryphal “A Most Proper Horse” chapter.) It is as much an art object as a book and earns our highest recommendation!
Although their website is undergoing revision and the book is not listed there, just email the publisher, Juan Carlos Solís, for further information.

The second absolutely breathtaking one is a Russian edition of both Alice books with art by Yulia Bogatova (Приключения Алиса в Стране Чудес / Алиса в Зазеркалье, illustrated by Ю. Богатова), published by OCS Distribution in 2006 and given away to their affiliates. In the world of art there are polarizing spectra of “Fine Art” to “Illustrative,” and “Abstract” to “Figurative,” but Ms. Bogatova’s sandbox is the liminal spaces in between. Using photography, pastels, and assemblage, she has created a unique vision, from very literal b&w drawings to highly abstract paintings, and the gray areas between them. Extraordinary and like nothing else I’ve ever seen!

Alisa stebuklų šalyje, a Lithuanian edition with the droll purple-tinged illustrations of Andrius Seselskas is a true treasure and a genuinely fresh interpretation of the Adventures. Seselskas’s richly imaginative drawings blend playful cartooning with surrealism, symbolism, and visual wit, rewarding repeated exploration. ISBN 978-609-8293-10-4, available from the publisher.

Ekaterina Vashchinskaya’s gorgeously luminescent oil paintings for both the Alice books have been published in one volume, in Russian, with a sumptuous cloth binding, elegant typography, and essays and annotations. Her ethereal, droll, dreamlike Wonderland, filled with magical creatures and glowing landscapes, can be previewed on the Yolka Gallery site. ISBN 978-5-9680-0314-0.

A punk ‘zine style (Risograph printing & pamphlet stitch binding) set of the two books was illustrated by twelve Hague-based artists (one per chapter) and published by an artists-run print shop is available from them at stencilwerck.nl. As with all such endeavors, the art varies widely in style and execution, but certainly always falls within the “outlier” category. Some are X-rated, naturally.

Gavin O’Keefe has illustrated the Alice books twice before, in black-and-white. Now he turns polychromatic in his “Atomic Colour Edition” (Lavington Press, 2026). This brilliantly imaginative reinterpretation filters Wonderland through the cultural mythology of the Cold War and the Atomic Age, weaving together nuclear science, quantum physics, pop culture, and Carrollian nonsense in one of the most conceptually original Alice editions of recent years. Order it here.

The tall Alice au pays des merveilles, with the witty, brilliantly inventive drawings of Isabelle Simler (Courtes Longues, 2025, KL 115:62) transforms Wonderland into a lush, living ecosystem teeming with flora and fauna. Employing strikingly original perspectives and exquisite detail, it is one of the most lavishly illustrated and visually original editions ever produced. ISBN 978-2-35290-446-5.

Le avventure di Alice nel Paese delle Meraviglie (Beltrame, 2009) is an imperial folio (17½×12½ inches, 44×32 cm) limited edition in a slipcase. Illustrated by Antonio Saliola, the nine masterly paintings are reproduced on canvas in silkscreen (there is one double-page spread).

Alma Editorial’s Alicia contains both Wonderland and Looking-glass in Spanish. American illustrator John Rego brings a fresh, atmospheric vision to the stories, with richly detailed landscapes and symbolic decorative imagery. The publisher’s ingenious panorama format extends the illustrations across the endpapers and sprayed fore-edge, creating a unique wraparound presentation. ISBN 978-84-10206-77-9.