What
introduction needs be made for Lewis Carroll, or even
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, the affectionate alter ego of
the man behind the nonsensical classics “Alice’s
Adventures in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking-Glass?”
Any intelligent person with half an interest in croquet
or literature knows that Dodgson was a founding member
of the Overland Mallet Club and a rabid puzzle and game
enthusiast, writing serious essays on mathematics, politics,
and sport.
This
final category includes a few variations on the garden game
of croquet. “Croquet Castles for Five Players”
was invented in May of 1863, and was refined as a game for
four players three years later for the enjoyment of Alice
Liddell and her sisters Lorina and Edith during Dodgson’s
appointment to Christ Church, Oxford. The girls were the
daughters of the Christ Church Dean Henry George Liddell,
who decreed that their play be as quiet as possible. How
these young players managed to keep their voices and spirits
below the level of a mild hurricane during such a riotous
game is anyone’s guess, but perhaps we may attribute
their (assumed) quiet demeanor to the manners and breeding
of a time and place far removed from our own. Oxford players
have never been the type to overmuch show their enthusiasm
whilst in the thick of a good game. Both versions of Dodgson’s
“Castle” game are printed here, for the scrutiny
of scholars and avid players alike.
We
begin this pamphlet with another, entirely cerebral version
of the game, also written by Dodgson. “Arithmetical
Croquet” was the result of Dodgson’s desire to
have a game of croquet he could play whilst on his regular
walks with his young friends. An early draft of this game
was called “Numerical Croquet” and was written
for his child-friend Gwendolyn Cecil. The version we print
here is a revised take on the game dated April 22, 1889.
A
Note on the Illustrations
The illustration on the cover of this pamphlet is by Arthur
Rackham, who whilst not an OMC man is certainly held in
high regard by the Club for his artistic contributions to
literature. The course diagrams inside this pamphlet are
the product of a lesser man, and so any concerns that arise
from them should be directed to himself, yours truly,
Reginald
Bakeley
President, Overland Mallet Club, Wales
ABERGAVENNY, 2 December, 2001
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