Wilde Oscar

1997 · réf. 703 — London: The Folio Society 1997. First thus. Hardcover. As new. Beck Ian Archie; Smithson Helen. When we acquired these two Folio Society volumes in as-new condition it only made sense to market them together. After all both the authors are noted English wits separated by less than a generation both gained fame as playwrights but also worked in other literary forms and both of them are gay icons. More particularly to these books they are bound in such a way that they look like they belong together as parts of a series even if they weren't officially published as such and are edited in such a way as to provide an overview of the authors' careers in the form of extracts. They were published in 1997 and 1996 respectively. "The Wit of Oscar Wilde" is edited by Merlin Holland Wilde's own grandson who is widely respected as a sympathetic but not uncritical authority on Wilde. He created chapters according to genre and wrote an introduction to each one: essays stories "The Picture of Dorian Gray" Wilde's only novel the plays and a final chapter of works written while Wilde was in prison and immediately upon release that Holland titles "De Profundis" after the name of the first work. Each chapter begins with an introduction by Holland an epigram by Wilde and except for the last chapter ends with one of Wilde's short poems. There are many black-and-white woodblock-like illustrations throughout by Ian Archie Beck with more illustrations covering the binding. "The Cream of Noel Coward" edited by Michael Cox with a preface by Graham Payn and Sheridan Morley follows much the same pattern. Cox arranged his book chronologically instead of by topic with most chapters dedicated to decades from the 1920s through the 1970s. He mostly includes acts and speeches from plays and films Cowards wrote and the lyrics of songs but there are also some essays poems and bits of biography. The complete script of the play "Private Lives" still one of Coward's most popular pieces of theater is included. Whereas the illustrations for the Wilde book were many and small the illustrations by Helen Smithson here are fewer but in the form of full-page prints and seem to have something of a surrealist bent. Again they carry over to the book cover. As new unread. Both are bound in gold-colored cloth and show no signs of wear or damage to the boards or spine. All is tight and square. Illustrations wrap around the covers and spine printed in black. Spine lettering is also printed in black. The books do not have dust jackets but instead have sturdy slipcases which also show no wear or damage covered in paper the same color as the book cloth. The text blocks are impeccably clean and undamaged printed on fine paper in Dante with Gill Sans Extra Condensed. These would be fine gifts for those who are already fans or a good introduction for those who have wondered what all the fuss is about. The Folio Society hardcover