Product review: Alice in Wonderland tote from literarybookgifts.com

Disclaimer: I was offered this product, at a heavily discounted price, in exchange for an honest review. All views are my own, are my honest opinion, and have not been swayed by the discount or anything else.

When Melissa from Literary Book Gifts approached me about featuring one of her products on Books inter alia I was very excited. Like many people I know, I am somewhat addicted to tote bags and, having spotted the Alice in Wonderland design, it became very hard to say no.

Literary Book Gifts is a straightforward website. Black text on a white background, it doesn’t try to be anything other than what it is: a new website which aims to attract book lovers to purchase not only totes but also t-shirts and hoodies decorated with scenes from some of the best-known classics. The represented list (non-exhaustive) includes titles such as Moby Dick, The origin of Species, Les Miserables, Plato’s The Republic, and The Grimm Fairytales. With such a range of classic titles represented, there is a lot of choice for those who enjoy more Literary reading material. However, as someone who is not as au fait with the classics, I found the selection a little limited. I was happy to come across the more nostalgic titles such as Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, or The Wind in the Willows.

The bag itself is more substantial than a lot of the tote bags in my collection. A single pocket bag, it seems strong and robustly made. Whilst I have yet to take it out in the wider world it has handled transporting piles of books, notebooks, jumpers, and other items that I cart around with me on a daily basis, up and down the stairs, with no sign of weakness. Although not a bag that you’d be able to fold up and keep in the bottom of a handbag in case of after work shopping trips, this is a bag that you might use in place of your handbag. I would be very likely to use this on a returns trip into town; reducing the need to carry multiple bags and looking smart in the process.

The image of Alice and the White Rabbit, while containing two of the main characters from Carroll’s beloved novel, is perhaps not the best-known, however, the decision to use one of the original illustrations rather than a Disney portrayal is one I appreciate. It’s always nice to see original sources being remembered after adaptations have received such renown.

The black lining gives it a more expensive feel which for the price is a necessity, and is another way in which this tote is elevated above the majority of my collection. The dark navy really makes the illustration ‘pop’ and is a practical colour choice, reducing the chance of visible stains without the severity of black.

The one thing that I found to be disappointing was the lack of finish on the sewing. There was a lot of excess thread. This was very easy to cut off and tidy up myself but, especially for the price of the product, I was surprised to see it.

A well made, practical, product I am so happy that I was given the opportunity to discover this website and to gain a new tote-bag which I am sure will prove very useful.

If you would like to visit literarybookgifts.com  I have very kindly been given a discount code to share with you.  BOOKSINTERALIA20 will give you a 20% discount off anything in the store. 

Literary Book Gifts

Literary Book Gifts was launched by Melissa, from Toronto, as a way of combining her love of literature with her skills and background in design.

From the website:

For book lovers and readers of all ages.

High-quality items with a passion for all things literature, ideas, and reading.

Most designs are unique to Literary Book Gifts, you won’t find these products anywhere else.

www.literarybookgifts.com