WILDE, OscarBiblio.com
6 315 résultats
1926réf. 329075Paris: F.-L Schmied 1926. Limited. hardcover. near fine. Color woodcuts and decorations by Francois-Louis Schmied printed by hand. 4to full black crushed morocco spine faded to brown with gold & silver art deco design; full gray leather doublures pictorially stamped in gilt & blind with a singing bird; gray silk fly-leaves by Gonin. Paris: F.-L Schmied 1926. Limited Edition. Fine in a leather tipped marbled board slipcase. French translation by Albert Savine of Wilde's The Happy Prince and the Nightingale and the Rose. Number VII of XII copies de collaborateurs signed by the artist. F.-L Schmied unknown
1899réf. 186847London: Leonard Smithers and Co 1899. Wilde's greatest play in the original cloth First edition out of series from an issue of 1000 numbered copies. Wilde's last play opened to great acclaim on Valentine's Day 1895 but was withdrawn after Wilde's failed libel suit against Lord Queensbury led to his arrest in April of that year. It was not published in book form until February 1899 after Wilde's release from prison. The play was published in a standard issue of 1000 unsigned copies 100 signed large paper copies and 12 signed copies on japon. Quarto. Original pink cloth spine lettered in gilt stylised leaf motifs by Charles Shannon in gilt to spine and covers edges uncut and untrimmed. Spine toned and a little bumped nick to head of spine occasional foxing mostly to outer leaves. A very good copy. Mason 381. hardcover
1899réf. 182434London: Leonard Smithers and Co 1899. An unusual binding First edition number 373 of 1000 copies. This copy is in a contemporary vellum binding in a style that was popular at the end of the nineteenth century similar to those produced by both the Kelmscott Press and the Riccardi Press. This copy was part of the standard issue in cloth; a further 100 signed large paper copies and 12 signed copies on japon were produced. Wilde's last play opened to great acclaim on Valentine's Day 1895 but was withdrawn after Wilde's failed libel suit against Lord Queensbury led to his arrest in April of that year. The play was not published in book form until February 1899 after Wilde's release from prison. Quarto 210 x 155 mm. Contemporary limp vellum spine lettered in gilt green silk ties top edge gilt others untrimmed. Natural variation to vellum light foxing mostly to edges. A very good copy. Mason 381. hardcover
1894réf. 21246961894. London: Elkin Mathews & John Lane. 1894. Small 4to. Original blue-green woven cloth gilt designs after Beardsley blocked to boards spine lettered in gilt fore- and tail-edges uncut; pp. 10 67 1 14 advertisements 2 10 plates including frontispiece illustrated title-page contents page and tailpiece by Aubrey Beardsley printed on glazed paper from line blocks engraved by Carl Hentschel; a few chips to joints and corners small loss to head of spine affecting 2 letters of gilt text spine sunned; internally very clean; a very good copy; bookplate of William Forbes Morgan 1841-1916 to front pastedown.First English edition of Wilde's one-act tragedy the first with Beardsley's illustrations four of which contain caricatures of Oscar Wilde one of only 500 copies translated by and dedicated to Wilde's lover Lord Alfred Douglas.Though Wilde tried to fix some of the errors Douglas raged when he did and wrote to the publishers that September 'as I cannot consent to have my work altered and edited and thus to become a mere machine for doing the rough work of translation I have decided to relinquish the affair altogether.' Daniel. Nevertheless their relationship recovered and the translation has since become the text most familiar to Anglophone audiences. Steven Berkoff used the Douglas translation for his critically acclaimed Salome at the National Theatre in 1988 with all its archaisms and errors unabridged.Sadly Wilde never saw the play produced. Its only performance during his lifetime was a one-off presentation at the Theatre de la Comedie-Parisienne on 11 February 1896 by which time he was already in prison. It was not performed publicly in Britain until 1931.Gertner Zatlin 865-81; Mason 350; Reade 274-83; Samuels Lasner 59; Vallance 86. See Daniel 'Lost In Translation: Oscar Bosie and Salome' Princeton University Library Chronicle 2007. hardcover
1943réf. 156715Beverly Hills CA: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer MGM 1943. Draft script for the 1945 film. Copy belonging to an unknown crew member with their manuscript annotations in pencil on several pages. Based on the 1890 novel by Oscar Wilde about a man whose portrait magically takes on the ability to absorb the sins of his debauched life while he remains unaged. Nominated for three Academy Awards winning one for Best Cinematography. Set in London. Goldenrod studio wrappers rubber-stamped FILE COPY and COMPLETE on the front wrapper noted as copy No. 67 and production No. 5069 dated 11-5-43 with credits for director Albert Lewin. Title page integral with the first page of the text. 168 leaves with last page of text numbered 169. Mimeograph duplication rectos only with a single pink revision page dated 3-13-44. Pages about Near Fine wrapper Good only with a tear on the bottom right portion of the front wrapper and rear wrapper split from the binding bound with two gold brads. Selby US. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer [MGM] unknown
1910réf. 320658New York: Nottingham 1910. Limited. hardcover. fine. 10 volumes. Thick 8vo finely bound in recent 3/4 dark green morocco with twin burgundy spine labels decoratively gilt spines raised bands and marbled boards top edges gilt deckled edges. New York: Nottingham Society circa 1910. Fine. Deluxe Edition Number 832 of of 1000 sets. Nottingham unknown
1999réf. 15778VITALIS 1999. 1. hardcover. VITALIS hardcover
1894réf. 282902London: John Lane 1894. Limited. hardcover. very good. Tall 8vo lavender cloth faded to tan with gilt designs considerably browned on the spine and edges; pages untrimmed London: John Lane 1894. Limited First Edition. Mason 365. One of only 50 copies printed simultaneously with the first trade edition. Internally fine and clean. John Lane unknown
1898réf. 282548London: Smithers 1898. First. hardcover. very good. Slim 8vo mustard cloth backed in white with gilt lettering. London: Leonard Smithers 1898. Limited First Edition. One of 800 copies printed on hand-made paper on one side only. Inscribed on title page; "I.O. from F.A.S. Guilsborough Hall." A very good copy with some bubbling of the cloth and light soil. Irene Osgood later the wife of R.H. Sherard author of the life of Oscar Wilde was a novelist. This book was given to her by Sir Frank Athelstane Swettenham Preserved in an attractive1/4 leather slipcase with an elaborately gilt spine. Smithers unknown
1908réf. 139028London: Methuen & Co Ltd./Paris: Charles Carrington 1908-1922. Complete set of the works of Oscar Wilde including For Love of a King issued in 1922 and often missing from this set. Octavo 15 volumes in the publisher's original gilt-decorated full buckram top edge gilt with others uncut. One of 1000 copies issued on handmade paper. The Picture of Dorian Gray bears the imprint of Charles Carrington of Paris while the rest bear Methuen and Co. In near fine condition. Very rare with the inclusion of the 15th volume. Oscar Wilde was an Irish playwright novelist essayist and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s. He is remembered for his epigrams his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray his plays as well as the circumstances of his imprisonment and early death. Methuen & Co, Ltd./Paris: Charles Carrington hardcover
1909réf. 130510London: Methuen 1909-10. The works of Oscar Wilde. Octavo 13 volumes bound in three quarters morocco gilt titles and tooling to the spine raised bands top edge gilt. In near fine condition. Oscar Wilde was an Irish playwright novelist essayist and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s. He is remembered for his epigrams his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray his plays as well as the circumstances of his imprisonment and early death. Methuen hardcover
1926réf. 190158Paris: F.-L. Schmied 1926. In a superb art deco Schmied binding Signed limited edition number 59 of 162 copies only signed by Schmied on the original drawing of these two French translations of Wilde's The Happy Prince and The Nightingale and the Rose originally published in 1888. François-Louis Schmied 1873-1941 a Swiss-born French painter engraver and printer incarnated the art deco style in the 1920s which he brought to its peak in the bibliophile-oriented publishing field. Quarto 273 x 222mm. Finely bound by Creuzevault in contemporary blue crushed morocco titles to spine in red morocco onlay and blind tooling pictorial onlays in blue red brown white and black morocco heightened in silver after two of Schmied's in-text ornamental designs blue patterned silk endpapers original colour pictorial wrappers preserved blue silk bookmark untrimmed. Housed in a custom plush-lined patterned-paper slipcase light rubbing to extremities. Original gouache signed by Schmied mounted before limitation page 60 colour woodcuts heightened in silver and gilt including 4 full-page suite of woodcuts all but one on Japan title page in red and black with Schmied's device in similar colours. Light sunning and rubbing to spine the binding otherwise sharp occasional light offsetting else internally fresh and clean; a near-fine copy. unknown
1894réf. 185053London: Elkin Mathews & John Lane 1894. A sublime production by the enfants terribles of Victorian Britain First edition in English the first to feature Beardsley's elegant art nouveau illustrations. "If Le Morte Darthur made Beardsley known his designs for the first edition in English of Wilde's Salomé made him notorious and it remains the book of which most people think when his name is mentioned" Ray. Salomé was published in French in 1893. This English translation by Lord Alfred Bruce Douglas was published the following year in a run of 500 trade copies as here and 100 on large paper. The premiere took place on 11 February 1896 at the Comédie-Parisienne; the Lord Chamberlain cited Protestant Reformation laws banning religious plays to restrict the public staging in Britain. An opera version was sanctioned for performance in 1910 though the play itself had to be staged privately until the first public performance at the Savoy Theatre in 1931. Small quarto. Frontispiece illustrated title list of illustrations pages 9 plates and tailpiece all by Beardsley; publisher's unopened 16-page advertisements at end. Original blue canvas boards spine lettered in gilt decorations designed by Beardsley to covers in gilt edges untrimmed. Cloth slightly rubbed gutter cracked between a couple of gatherings a couple of plates discreetly reinserted. A very good copy. Mason 350; Ray 315A. hardcover
réf. SBBIH-ITSTNHJEZDZKHarperCollins Distribution Servi 1954. hardcover. Good. Our good condition books are generally good for reading but not for gifting or collecting. They could have imperfections such as creasing fanning inscriptions margin notes yellowing staining on edge or cover or pages bumps scuffs etc etc sometimes multiple of these. It's a wide category that encompasses anything that isn't almost-new down to anything that is slightly better than poor. We would NOT recommend gifting Good books - these should be considered reading copies. Our books are dispatched from a Yorkshire former cotton mill. We list via barcode/ISBN so please note that the images are stock images and may not be the exact copy you receive furthermore the details about edition and year might not be accurate as many publishers reuse the same ISBN for multiple editions and as we simply scan a barcode or enter an ISBN we do not check the validity of the edition data when listing. If you're looking for an exact edition please don't order at least not without checking with us first although we don't always have time to check. We aim to dispatch prompty the service used will depend on order value and book size. We can ship to most countries see our shipping policies. Payment is via Abe only. HarperCollins Distribution Servi hardcover
1888réf. 190846London: David Nutt 1888. If you want a red rose. you must build it out of music by moonlight and stain it with your own heart's-blood First edition of Wilde's first and best-known collection of children's stories including "The Selfish Giant" "The Nightingale and the Rose" "The Devoted Friend" and "The Remarkable Rocket". Wilde's "reputation as an author dated from the publication of the Happy Prince and Other Tales in London in May 1888. The Athenaeum compared him to Hans Christian Andersen and Pater wrote to say that 'The Selfish Giant' was 'perfect in its kind' and the whole book written in 'pure English' - a wonderful compliment" Ellmann p. 282. Small quarto. Frontispiece with tissue guard and 2 plates by Walter Crane 12 head- and tailpieces by Jacomb Hood. Original cream paper-covered boards spine lettered in black front cover lettered in red with vignette design in black and publisher's device in red. Housed in a custom black cloth slipcase. Ownership signature dated 3 June 1888 of Minnie Davenport daughter of Staffordshire silk manufacturer Henry Davenport and her pen-and-ink "bookplate" in the style of Walter Crane signed "W.L.S. invent." to front free endpaper; bookplate of Jeremy Mason. Spine toned boards rubbed and marked spot of wear to outer edge of front board: a very good copy. Mason 313 "1000 copies". Richard Ellmann Oscar Wilde 1987. hardcover
1894réf. 140949078London: Elkin Mathews & John Lane 1894. First Edition. Near Fine. First edition in English of Wilde's seminal one-act tragedy and the first to feature Aubrey Beardsley's lavishly unrestrained illustrations. One of 500 copies. xii 67 1 16 ads illustrated with frontispiece 9 full page plates and singular tailpiece. Bound in publisher's blue canvas cloth decoratively stamped in gilt after design by Beardsley. Near Fine with light sunning to spine and edges light foxing to cloth. Offsetting to front endsheets and armorial bookplate to pastedown there contents lightly tanned. A beautiful copy of a definitive work of the Decadent movement. Composed initially in French Wilde allegedly intended for Sarah Bernhardt to play Salome in hopes of bypassing strict British censors although it was inevitably banned by Lord Chamberlain due to the depiction of biblical characters. The play premiered on February 11 1896 at the Theatre de l'Oeuvre in Paris starring Lina Munte and directed by Lugne-Poe. Rave reviews ensued and later adaptions followed most notably Richard Strauss' Dresden production which premiered in 1905. The radical work served as a direct affront to Victorian moral standards and cemented the femme fatale archetype for future avant-garde luminaries. Mason 350. Elkin Mathews & John Lane unknown
1960réf. 2060London: The Folio Society 1960. Signed by the illustrator. With 6 full-page and several text illustrations. In publisher’s green cloth. Cover somewhat rubbed at edges. Otherwise in fine condition. Signed by the illustrator. With 6 full-page and several text illustrations. In publisher’s green cloth. 78 2 p. Association copy inscribed to the American socialite and fashion icon Mona von Bismarck and her husband Count Albrecht Eduard "Eddie" von Bismarck-Schönhausen. Sir Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton 1904–1980 was an English photographer painter illustrator writer and designer. Besides regularly working as a photographer for Condé Nast publications such as the Vogue he pursued a career as a stage and costume designer for films and the theatre. He won three Academy Awards for his art directorial work as well as for his costume designs. Mona von Bismarck 1897–1983 was a long-time friend of Beaton. . The Folio Society unknown
1881réf. ST20886London: David Bogue 1881. FIRST EDITION First Issue. 192 x 126 mm. 7 1/2 x 5". ix 1 236 1 pp. EXTREMELY ATTRACTIVE CRIMSON MOROCCO INTRICATELY GILT BY ZAEHNSDORF stamp-signed and dated 1909 on front turn-in covers framed in gilt with delicate pointillé cornerpieces surrounding inlaid green morocco drawer handles and oblique floral tools raised bands spine panels densely gilt in the pointillé style of Bozerian with stems of flowers radiating from pairs of inlaid green drawer handles turn-ins gilt-ruled red silk endleaves top edge gilt other edges untrimmed. Original slightly soiled gilt limp vellum binding bound in at rear. Mason 304. A few trivial spots internally but A VERY FINE COPY--the leaves fresh clean and wide-margined and the binding lustrous and virtually unworn. This is a finely bound copy of the first edition of Wilde's first book of poetry and his first substantial work of any kind. The collection is made up of 61 poems 31 of which appear here for the first time. Many reflect Wilde's delight in his visit to the art towns of Italy; other poems such as the tender "Resquiescat" written in memory of Wilde's sister Isola who had died at the age of eight show a more personal emotional sentiment. According to Mason "the first printing June 1881 consisted of 750 copies of which only 250 copies were used for the first edition the remaining 500 being equally divided between the second and third editions." Wilde himself oversaw the layout and design of the book choosing the handmade Dutch paper on which it is printed and the design of prunus blossoms on the vellum binding here bound in at the rear. The only published books by Wilde to appear before the present work were his student poem "Ravenna" which was named the "Newdigate Prize Poem" at Oxford for 1878 issued in wrappers and his drama "Vera; or the Nihilists" printed in 1880 of which Mason had knowledge of only two copies. Our attractive binding is a fine example of the work of the Zaehnsdorf firm long a top-ranked English bindery. Born in Pest Hungary Joseph Zaehnsdorf 1816-86 served his apprenticeship in Stuttgart worked at a number of European locations as a journeyman and then settled in London where he was hired first by Westley and then by Mackenzie before opening his own workshop in 1842. His son and namesake took over the business at age 33 when the senior Joseph died and the firm flourished under the son's leadership becoming a leading West End bindery. Over the years Zaehnsdorf employed a considerable number of distinguished binders including the Frenchman Louis Genth who was chief finisher from 1859-84 and trained a number of others including Roger de Coverly and Sarah Prideaux. A family-run business until 1947 the Zaehnsdorf bindery continued to produce consistently attractive and innovative designs executed with unfailing skill. David Bogue unknown
1968réf. 305092London: Petersburg Press 1968. Edition C with six loose lithographs signed duplicates of those bound in the book and four signed etchings this copy 100 of 100 lacking two of the prints. Illustrated by Jim Dine. 2 vols. Folio 18.1 x 13 inches. Snakeskin print leather binding near fine on text volume and portfolio volume matching box and heart cover with some fading otherwise near fine. Dine Jim. Edition C with six loose lithographs signed duplicates of those bound in the book and four signed etchings this copy 100 of 100 lacking two of the prints. Illustrated by Jim Dine. 2 vols. Folio 18.1 x 13 inches. Three editions of this work were published with an extra suite of prints: A Edition of 200 plus 25 artists' proofs bound in red velvet with the title in silver with six signed lithographs duplicates of the plates in the text signed by Dine B Edition of 200 plus 25 artists' proofs bound in green velvet with the title in silver with four etchings signed by Dine C Edition of 100 plus 15 artists' proofs in a snakeskin-patterned leather binding stamped in black with a matching box with "heart built up on the cover" also signed by Dine containing all of the prints of the two other editions 10 total signed by Dine. THIS COPY LACKING TWO PRINTS: "Sybil in her Dressing Room" and "Basil in Black Leather Suit" Jim Dine worked on a stage version of Wilde's novel with English director Robert Kidd for the Bath Academie of Art at Corsham moving the setting to London during the 1967 Summer of Love. The play was never finished as the scheduled lead actor James Fox objected to Dine's "obscene" costumes derailing the whole production. Petersburg Press stepped in and offered to print Dine's drafts for the adapation. Mikro 47 Petersburg Press unknown
1893réf. 1064London/Hammersmith: Kelmscott Press 1893. Limited First Edition. limp vellum. Very Good. Large 4to: 11 1/2" x 8 3/8" x 2" 29.2 x 21.3 x 5.1 cm. First Printing. Printed by William Morris. Bound in publisher's original by J. & J. Leighton with silk ties supplied by Morris & Co. with gilt titles to spine. One of 300 at four guineas paper copies plus 10 at twenty guineas on vellum. Printed on fine hand-made Batchelor with the first versions of the Primrose watermark paper with yapped edges. Uncut deckled edges. Colophon and the large floral printer's device designed by Morris no. 2. i-ii iii-xiv 1 2-455 456 pp. Printed in black and red throughout with the Golden type designed by Morris for his press. Head-title speakers' names and shoulder- and footnotes in red. One full-page and two three-quarter-page woodcut borders 8 and 8a along with numerous 10- 6- and 3-line initials all designed by Morris engraved by William Harcourt Hooper. Tells the tale of Sidonia von Borcke the Pomeranian noblewoman who was tried and executed for witchcraft in 1620. Lady Wilde's translation was 1st published in 1849. Morris wrote that "Sidonia was based more or less on fact concerning the Witch Fever that afflicted Northern Europe during the latter half of the 15th and 1st half of the 16th centuries and was a great favorite with the more literary part of the pre-Raphaelite artists who include William Morris and Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones . D.G. Rossetti in particular was an enthusiastic admirer." In early 1892 Aubrey Beardsley produced a frontispiece drawing of Sidonia. Morris's rejection of the illustration caused great indignation in Beardsley. Forman pp. 168 & 220. Peterson A19 & 51. Most copies were bound in original limp vellum with silk ties but according to Peterson: "Cockerell instructed Leighton to bind thirty copies in 'half Holland uniform with THE GOLDEN LEGEND' and these were later donated to British and American libraries." Covers somewhat marked and warped. Silk ties mostly perished remains laid in. Condition overall: Very Good. Kelmscott Press hardcover
1894réf. 835081894. WILDE Oscar. A Woman of No Importance. Orig. tan buckram gilt stamped decorations on boards and spine. London: John Lane at the Sign of the Bodley Head 1894. Mason 365. Richard Ellmann Oscar Wilde 1988; Joel Kaplan "Wilde on the Stage" The Cambridge Companion to Oscar Wilde ed. by Peter Raby 1997. First edition. Large paper copy one of 50 copies. Previous owner's signature on limitation page. Boards toned browning to pastedowns and first free endpapers. Overall a near fine copy housed in a custom purple cloth chemise and matching quarter morocco slipcase. unknown
1906réf. 66710Paris: Charles Carrington 1906. Fine. Charles Carrington Paris 1906 14.50 x 23 cm relié sous chemise et étui First edition of the French translation by Hugues Rebell one of 30 numbered copies on Japon the tirage de tête. Full morocco cover and spine preserved all edges gilt chemise in half morocco slipcase lined with morocco elegant contemporary binding signed Huser. Illustrated as frontispiece with a photographic portrait of Oscar Wilde. Provenance : from the library of Henri Thuile with his ex-libris pasted to head of a pastedown. A very nice copy elegantly bound by Huser in lined morocco. Charles Carrington unknown
1894réf. OW056London: John Lane at the Sign of The Bodley Head 1894 First edition limited large paper copy with "Of this edition 50 copies have been printed" statement on the verso of the fourth preliminary page and no publisher's catalogue at the back of the book. Publisher's yellow buckram boards with gilt decorations by Charles Shannon to covers and spine spine lettered in gilt. Near fine with some toning to spine and board edges light wear to spine ends with a very shallow chip to cloth at foot of spine bottom right corner of front board worn to boards and heavy offsetting to endpapers. Overall a beautiful copy of one of Wilde's four celebrated drawing-room plays. Mason 365. A Woman of No Importance is a four-act play that was first produced in London at the Haymarket Theatre on April 19 1893. Like many of Wilde's plays it satirizes the English upper-class and criticizes Victorian society. The title "a woman of no importance" refers to the character Mrs. Arbuthnot who bears the illegitimate son of Lord Illingworth. Although societal conventions deem her a sinful woman Wilde proves Arbuthnot a respectable widow who is rewarded with a son who treats women respectfully. In contrast Illingworth one of Wilde's archetypal dandy figures is rejected by his son and many of the women in the play making him a "man of no importance." A Woman of No Importance was published simultaneously in two formats: small octavo the standard edition of 500 copies and quarto the "Large Paper" issue of 50 copies. While both constitute the first edition of A Woman of No Importance the large paper copies are decidedly rarer than the octavos; intended to be more exclusive and deluxe publications large paper formats were typically produced using higher quality materials lacked the publisher's advertisements and were printed in small print runs. Because they were intended as collectibles from publication large paper copies of Wilde's plays are exceedingly scarce. First Edition Limited Large Paper Copy. Hard Cover. Near Fine. London: John Lane at the Sign of The Bodley Head hardcover
1899réf. 140949181London: Leonard Smithers and Co 1899. First Edition. Near Fine. First edition first printing. One of 1000 copies unnumbered. xvi 152 pp. printed on laid paper. Bound in publisher's lavender cloth with gilt spine lettering and decorations by Charles Shannon. Near Fine with sunning to spine and extremities and fading to spine gilt light soiling and scattered foxing to cloth light rubbing to extremities and slight bumping to lower corners. Binding starting at p. 105 offsetting to front endsheet bookplate to front pastedown. A very nice copy from the library of the American naval officer and book collector Charles John Muto. Mason 381. The first edition of the most delightful play in the English language. Wilde's last play opened on Valentine's Day 1895 to almost unanimous praise. Two weeks later he received a card at his club accusing him of sodomy to which he responded with an ill-judged libel lawsuit that led to his downfall and imprisonment. By the time this book was published by Leonard Smithers one of his few remaining friends Wilde was dying in Paris his health broken by Reading Gaol. There are now statues to him in London and Dublin. Leonard Smithers and Co unknown
1894réf. 194868London: John Lane at the Sign of the Bodley Head 1894. One of 50 deluxe copies First edition large paper issue one of 50 copies attractively printed on handmade paper with wide margins and bound in tan buckram. The trade issue consisted of 500 copies that were printed on smaller machine-made paper and bound in pink linen. The play's premiere at the Haymarket Theatre on 19 April 1893 was met with applause for the actors and boos for the playwright causing Wilde to announce from behind a curtain "Ladies and gentlemen I regret to inform you that Mr Oscar Wilde is not in the house" Ellmann p. 381. Wilde's opulent production used "the market forces of luxury dressmaking to comment upon the worlds of his Haymarket patrons. Audiences in the stalls and boxes continued to be both flattered and vexed by the antics of their on-stage doubles while viewers in the upper galleries enjoyed the additional spectacle of fashionable Society catching its likeness in Wilde's cunningly set mirrors" Kaplan p. 252. Small quarto. Original tan buckram over bevelled boards with gilt floral decorations by Charles Shannon spine lettered in gilt fore and bottom edges uncut. Bookseller's ticket of James Parker & Co. Oxford. Spine and cover edges toned as usual surface scratch to front cover light rubbing to edges endpapers browned but contents bright. A very good copy. Mason 365. Richard Ellmann Oscar Wilde 1988; Joel Kaplan "Wilde on the Stage" The Cambridge Companion to Oscar Wilde ed. by Peter Raby 1997. hardcover
