He was a lifelong bachelor and a Church of England deacon--who became famous writing silly books for children. He was an Oxford Lecturer in Mathematics--with a stammer. He was a logician known for creating nonsense--even his name was a very clever bilingual play on words.

    Lewis Carroll was born Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (1832-1898), the third of 11 children. His father, too, was a clergyman, and this youngest Charles--also the name of his father, grandfather, and great-grand-father--grew up in the countryside playing with his siblings, writing poems, and reading very difficult books at a very young age.

    At first he studied at home, and then attended a local grammar school. At 14 he started at the Rugby School, where he seems to have been unhappy, but was an outstanding scholar, especially in the discipline of mathematics. He moved on to Christ Church, Oxford, which his father had attended. There, though a slothful student, his brilliance still shone through, and after graduating with first-class honors, he was offered a position in mathematics. He remained on the faculty of Oxford University until his death.

    This alone would have made him a success. But aside from his work as a mathematician and logician, he was also an amateur photographer. One subject of his camera was the painter John Everett Millais. He photographed another Pre-Raphaelite, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, as well as Michael Faraday, Alfred, Lord Tennyson--and a little girl named Alice.

    While Dodgson was at Oxford, a new Dean arrived with a son and three daughters. Dodgson befriended the family, taking rowing trips with the children and telling them stories. One of these became the popular "Alice in Wonderland," which was followed by "Through the Looking Glass."

    Now, about his pen name: his first two names "Charles Lutwidge" could be translated into Latin as "Carolus Ludovicus." When translated back into English this became "Carroll Lewis" and then, switching places, "Lewis Carroll."

    Vocabulary: Which word above means:

    1. a hesitation in speaking; repeating the first sound of a word

    2. using two languages

    3. lazy, slow-moving

    4. school subject, subject of study

    5. unmarried man

    6. one who studied and uses logic

    7. made friends with

    8. great intelligence or talent

    9. a lower member of the clergy, below a priest or minister

    ANSWERS: 1. stammer 2. bilingual 3. slothful 4. discipline 5. bachelor 6. logician 7. befriended 8. brilliance 9. deacon