You can buy this first edition copy of 'Alice in Wonderland' for around $2 million

Reading Alice in Wonderland as a child gave me my interest in weird, anthropomorphic creatures, as well as some of my favorite quotes ("It's no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then"). I'm a huge fan of the book and, if I had a lot of money, I would place a bid on this extremely rare first edition copy of Lewis Carroll's 1865 novel. It comes from a recalled Macmillan & Co. pressing of the book and is expected to fetch $2-3 million later this month.

As Christie's explains, 2,000 copies were printed in 1865, but illustrator John Tenniel was "entirely dissatisfied with the printing of the pictures" that he ordered every copy be returned and a fresh copy printed. The returned copies were to be "sold as waste paper" but at least 23 survived — six of which are in private hands, including the one going on auction.

Christie's copy was owned, at one point, by Carroll's Oxford colleague George William Kitchin. The book has since passed through multiple hands but has "remained intact over the intervening 150 years since its publication, and still features its original binding, binder's ticket and title page."

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Thai artist paints on mosquito nets

I find them quite intriguing, these ghostly portraits that Uttaporn Nimmalaikaew paints on mosquito nets. His creations look like a hologram, changing form depending on where the viewer stands. Overall, they're gloomy, haunting, and endlessly fascinating. I could stare at them for ages. [h/t: Colossal ]

'Women of the Future,' according to vintage trading cards

Firefighter In 1902, French artist Albert Bergeret printed this set of trading cards depicting women and their futuristic occupations as firefighters, politicians, soldiers, lawyers, and journalists. Titled Women of the Future , these collectibles were released primarily for the boys, that's why many of these outfits fall more on the side of post-Victorian pin-up calendar than professional attire. General Marine Journalist Artist [h/t: Dangerous Minds ]

When Mickey Went Gothic

In the 1930s, Universal's hits like Dracula and Frankenstein had everyone buzzing, and Walt Disney wanted a piece of that spooky action for his biggest star. The result was The Mad Doctor —a frantic, gothic horror show where Mickey Mouse has to brave a booby-trapped castle full of dancing, self-assembling skeletons to rescue his snatched dog, Pluto. It was the first time audiences saw a truly terrified Mickey. Not only did some theaters refuse to screen the short film, but the British Board of Film Censors (BBFC) outright banned it, deeming it "too gruesome" for kids.

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