The Story

This isn't one story, but a whole collection of Lewis Carroll's poems. The title piece, 'Phantasmagoria,' is a seven-part poem that feels like a short story. A ghost named Tibbets shows up at a man's house to do his haunting job, but he's surprisingly bad at it and very concerned with etiquette. The rest of the book is a mix of his famous nonsense verse (like 'Jabberwocky'), playful puzzles, and some surprisingly tender and melancholic pieces you might not expect from the author of Alice.

Why You Should Read It

I loved this because it shows Carroll's full range. Sure, the clever wordplay and absurd logic are here and they're brilliant. But then you get a poem like 'The Valley of the Shadow of Death,' which is hauntingly quiet and serious. It makes you see him not just as a logician playing games, but as a person wrestling with big questions. The ghost in the main poem is hilarious—a bureaucratic spectre worried about the rules—but their conversation slowly turns to what it means to be remembered after you're gone. It's light on the surface, but it sticks with you.

Final Verdict

Perfect for Alice fans who want to go deeper, and for anyone who enjoys poetry that can make you laugh and then, a page later, make you pause. If you think Victorian poetry is all stiff and formal, this book will be a delightful shock. It’s for readers who like their whimsy with a shadow, and their ghosts with a sense of humor.