Lewis Carroll's Guide for Insomniacs

January 22, 2024
The second edition of this lovely bedside companion, written by Carroll (Alice in Wonderland) and originally compiled (with some tweaks) by British entertainer and politician Brandreth (Elizabeth) in the 1970s, features a litany of cures and distractions for sleepless nights. There are “pillow problems” in verse, rhymes at midnight, acrostics, limericks, shadow puppets, tangrams, nightcaps, ciphers, a board game for one, and a description of the puzzling Nyctograph—a tablet Carroll invented for writing in the dark. The Snark-hunting wit that animated Humpty Dumpty and the Cheshire Cat is present in the rules for letter writing (“put it aside till the next day”), advice for encountering ghosts (“a gentleman should always raise his hat”), and tips to aid digestion (“lobster-sauce... is entirely unwholesome”). Riddles abound (“Find a bird with the letters ‘gp’ as its nucleus”), letters turn to numbers and back again, and charming nonsense poetry comes with a moral (“never stew your sister”). Brandreth’s arrangement of Carroll’s musings, drawn from several of his published works, is charmingly formulated to pierce the darkness: “Whatever the horrors of the night, day always comes.” It’s a thoughtful gift for clever night owls. Illus.