67 résultats
1891145251891. London: James R. Osgood McIlvaine & Co. 1891. Original yellow-green cloth decorated in gilt.<br/><br/> First Edition of this group of four essays on literature art society and criticism -- which consisted of 900 copies plus 600 printed for America with the Dodd Mead imprint. Published just a week after Wilde's only novel THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY INTENTIONS precedes all of his famous plays which came out during the span 1893-1899. In the opening essay Wilde laments the "decay of Lying as an art a science and a social pleasure." He takes to task modern literary realists like Henry James and Émile Zola for their "monstrous worship of facts" and stifling of the imagination. What makes art wonderful he says is that it is "absolutely indifferent to fact." The next essay "Pen Pencil and Poison" is a fascinating literary appreciation of the life of Thomas Griffiths Wainewright a talented painter art critic antiquarian friend of Charles Lamb and — murderer. The heart of the collection is the long two-part essay titled "The Critic as Artist." In one memorable passage after another Wilde goes to great lengths to show that the critic is every bit as much an artist as the artist himself in some cases more so. A good critic is like a virtuoso interpreter. Finally in "The Truth of Masks" Wilde returns to the theme of art as artifice and creative deception. This essay focuses on the use of masks disguises and costume in Shakespeare Goodreads. Charles Ricketts created the Fin-de-Siècle binding design and lettering -- in the same year that he also designed for the same publisher the binding of TESS OF THE D'URBERVILLES. This is a near-fine copy -- there is faint mottled fading that always seems to afflict this book's cloth but there is little wear other than minor rubbing at the extremities small partly-erased signature on the endpaper. INTENTIONS has become a difficult title to acquire in better condition. Mason 341. unknown books
189322477London: Elkin Mathews and John Lane at the Sign of the Bodley Head 1893. First Edition. Small quarto 21.75cm.; original reddish-brown gilt-embossed cloth; 1413214adspp. Extremities a bit rubbed narrow strip of discoloration to fore-edge of upper cover minor foxing to textblock upper hinge cracked but still quite strong; About Very Good. Contemporary bookplate of Oscar Wilde collector Jon Weekly. 500 copies issued MASON 357. Elkin Mathews and John Lane at the Sign of the Bodley Head unknown books
1891WRCLIT69505London: James R. Osgood McIlvaine 1891. Small quarto. Gilt green cloth backed cream cloth over boards elaborately decorated in gilt and red. Plates illustrations and decorated endsheets. Binding a bit darkened with some pale discolorations at edge 1895 ownership signature on preliminary blank corners a trifle worn the plates by Shannon somewhat faded as usual but still legible a few small nicks and a short tear to the edges of the front free endsheet but a good sound copy a few leaves unopened. First edition. Design illustrations and decorations by C. Ricketts and C. Shannon with plates by the latter. One of one thousand copies printed. Mason/Millard gives an account of the circumstances which led to the faint state of the Shannon plates. Contains four short stories: "The Young King" which first appeared in THE LADY'S PICTORIAL Christmas Number 1888 "The Birthday of the Infanta" which first appeared in PARIS ILLUSTRÉ March 30 1889 "The Fisherman and His Soul" and "The Star- Child." Because of its physical construction a book very difficult to find in agreeable condition. MASON/MILLARD 347. James R. Osgood McIlvaine hardcover books
1893002401London: Elkin Mathews and John Lane at the Sign of the Bodley Head. Printed by T. and A. Constable Edinburgh 1893. First Edition. Cloth. Very Good Minus. 8vo. 21.5 by 16 cm. 8.5 by 6.25 inches. 18 132 14 2 pp. With publisher's list of books in the back. In this first edition apparently only 500 copies were printed! The pages are heavily toned per the norm for the paper stock but clean otherwise. The binding is tight. A few uncut leaves in the advertisement section. FEP with small ornamental bookplate pastedown of "Carroll Atwood Wilson" who was a well-known book collector of his day as well as a lawyer and chief legal counsel to the Guggenheims. The publisher's peach-colored cloth has some blistering on the boards. Along the edges there are long narrow spots in which the color is washed out. The spine has been rebacked with most of the original spine mounted thereon with a small loss of the gilt lettering transpiring. The resulting spine also has small dark spots and one is likely not to find it prepossessing. <br/><br/> Elkin Mathews and John Lane at the Sign of the Bodley Head. Printed by T. and A. Constable, Edinburgh hardcover books
189350532London: Elkin Mathews and John Lane at the Sign of the Bodley Head 1893. First Edition. Small quarto 21.75cm.; original reddish-brown gilt-embossed cloth; 1413214adspp. Straight and tight with the boards slightly faded at margins as is typical and a few spots where cloth has begun to lift. The text is slightly tanned but foxing is contained to endpapers. In all a pleasing and well-preserved copy of a fragile book. 500 copies issued MASON 357. Elkin Mathews and John Lane at the Sign of the Bodley Head unknown books
189927574London: Leonard Smithers and Co 1899. First Edition. Limited to 1000 copies of which this is no. 241. Small quarto 21.75cm.; light red-brown gilt-stamped cloth with designs by Charles Shannon; 16151pp. Spine a bit cocked and darkened as are extremities to a lesser extent two small white spots to rear cover; textblock near fine. Very Good overall. MASON 381. Leonard Smithers and Co unknown books
189422263London: John Lane 1894. First edition. Hardcover. Publisher's full mauve cloth stamped in gilt spine stamped and lettered in gilt. Very good. 154 pages. 27.5 x 16 cm. Limited edition one of 500 with 16 pages of advertisements at end dated March 1894 Cover gilt design florets by Charles Shannon considerably influenced by his lifetime partner Charles Ricketts both of whom produced work for the Doves Press. MASON 364. The play premièred on 19 April 1893 at London's Haymarket Theatre satirizing English upper-class society. Spine dulled spine extremities creased binding tight; a reasonably sound copy. John Lane hardcover books
1894123204Small 4to. London: John Lane at the Bodley Head 1894. Small 4to xiv 154 1 pp. Original salmon buckram covers with gilt-stamped decorations gilt top backstrip lettered and stamped in gilt some browning throughout as usual binding a bit soiled but good. § First edition though there were 15 copies printed for the production of the play in New York. This play contains some of Wilde’s best quips - with especially astute comments on the nature of society. A hard book to find in good condition. On the front pastedown are two bookplates: George Ravenscroft Dennis and Lucius Wilmderding. John Lane at the Bodley Head hardcover books
1893140940629London: Elkin Mathews and John Lane 1893. First Edition. Very Good. First edition first printing. Bound in publisher's mauve cloth stamped in gilt. Very Good with soiling and darkening to cloth and corners and spine ends bumped. Previous owner bookplate and gift inscription to front endpaper. Pages toned. One of Irish playwright Oscar Wilde's best-known plays a comedy in four acts. Elkin Mathews and John Lane unknown books
1899291407London: Smithers 1899. First. hardcover. very good. 151 pages. 8vo original lavender cloth; spine faded; cloth lightly bubbled. London: Leonard Smithers 1899. First Edition.<br/><br/> A very good copy of Wilde's "last and greatest play". One of 1000 copies unnumbered as is often the case. Preliminary pages lightly foxed.<br/><br/> Smithers unknown books
18991232028vo. London: Leonard Smithers 1899. 8vo 213 1 imprintpp. Original salmon cloth stamped in gold backstrip dull internally very good. Wilmerding bookpate upside down in back. § First edition one of 1000 copies. “Although Wilde's third play opened in 1895 it was not published until four years later and after Wilde had been released from prison. The success of The Ballad of Reading Gaol persuaded Wilde to publish his last two plays the other being The Importance of Being Ernest. All three were published by Leonard Smithers one of very few remaining publishers prepared to handle Wilde's work†Sotheby’s. Mason 385. "To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance". Leonard Smithers hardcover books
1899268506London: Smithers 1899. First. hardcover. very good-. 151 pages. 8vo original lavender cloth; slight lean spine faded. London: Leonard Smithers 1899. First Edition.<br/><br/> A very good copy of Wilde's "last and greatest play". Number 117 of 1000 copies. Early faint ownership signature on flyleaf. End-leaves are browned but he interior is clean & fine.<br/><br/> Smithers unknown books
189912241JLondon: Leonard Smithers 1899. First Edition. One of 1000 numbered copies. Original lavender gilt-stamped and decorated cloth. Ownership inscription and bookplates of Chauncey Lawrence Williams and Scott Cunningham on the front pastedown. A little trace of sunning to spine with some rubbing near bottom of spine some dust-soiling to the boards else a very good copy. Leonard Smithers hardcover books
18932221667<p>First edition. Octavo. Full modern navy blue morocco a.e.g.; marbled endpapers. Fine fresh copy. 132 pages publisher's 16 page catalog at end dated September 1893. No foxing. No signatures or bookplates. Enclosed in a blue cloth slipcase.</p><p>Printed by T. and A. Constable.</p><p>Mason 357.</p> Elkin Mathews hardcover books
1899140938501London: Leonard Smithers 1899. First Edition. Very Good. First Edition first printing. One of 800 copies originally printed which sold out immediately. Very Good. Covers soiled corners and spine ends softened. Endsheets offset from binder's glue. Previous owner name partially effaced from front paste down. Slight odor to pages. Clipping with apparently forged signature of Oscar Wilde tipped in on recto of final blank sheet by no means assumed to be authentic. Leonard Smithers unknown books
18782178Oxford: Thos. Shrimpton and Son 1878. First edition. First edition. 12mo. 16pp. Original grey-green printed wrappers. Exceedingly scarce first edition with the publisher's printed crest appearing on the cover of the wrappers as well as on the title page. and a vignette woodcut appears on the last page. The prestigious Newdigate Prize Oxford's top award for poetry dates to early 1800's and the winner for 1878 was the young Oscar Wilde. The pamphlet was issued in the same year as was common with many of the early prize winners and is considered Wilde's first publication in book form. He worked on the poem a few years earlier while touring Greece as a student at Oxford. An exemplary the finest we have seen with no wrinkling or central creases as was commonly seen from folding to place in a pocket. Very small nick out of two corners very slight barely detectable browning to covers else extremely clean and bright. Extremely scarce in this condition. 16pp. <br/><br/> Thos. Shrimpton and Son unknown books
1882314013Philadelphia: Russell & Creamer 1882. First edition. With fine partly colored caricature folding map of Chesapeake and Delaware Bays and environs; numerous illustrations in text. 96 pp. 1 vols. 8vo. Publisher's blue cloth gilt with publisher's printed paper wrappers bound in. Rubbed minor staining to boards upper wrapper chipped at upper corner with small loss possibly to presentation "Mrs Jas. H. Allen. Book label offsetting to front free end paper. Very good. First edition. With fine partly colored caricature folding map of Chesapeake and Delaware Bays and environs; numerous illustrations in text. 96 pp. 1 vols. 8vo. "The 'Wilde' Æsthetes of 1882". One of the rarest of this series of privately printed volumes produced by this Philadelphia sporting club and an unusual demonstration of the popularity of Oscar Wilde during his American tour of 1882. The verso of the title page includes a list of the 22 members of the cruise "The 'Wilde' Æsthetes of 1882" with the title in a floral heading giving them all first names of flowers and Wildean associations including: <br/>Sunflower SMITH Oscar's first love too poetical .<br/>Mignonette MOUSLEY Oscar's twin brother too fat for a Porpoise.<br/>Rhododendron RAUCH Oscar's great-aunt too much 'poke.'<br/>Woodbine WEHN Oscar's little sister too awfully nice.<br/>Petunia PACKARD Oscar's maid too much of a masher.<br/><br/>With the ticket of J.L. Smith 27 S. Sixth St. Philadelphia Please Acknowledge Receipt on front wrapper. "Sunflower" Smith who heads the crew list was a Philadelphia map publisher<br/><br/>Clifford P. "Arbutus" Allen is described as the loggist; and Herbert S. "Petunia" Packard as the artist. Allen b. 1841 was the regular scribe for the club's annual fishing cruises.<br/><br/>RARE. Wetzel p. 199; Bruns W83; Library of John M. Schiff Sotheby's 11 Dec. 1990 lot 132 this copy; not in Heller. Provenance: Mortimer L. Schiff with his bookplate Russell & Creamer unknown books
189828830London: Leonard Smithers 1898. First edition one of 800 copies printed on handmade paper. Yellow-brown boards with white cloth spine. Usual discoloration to the endpapers but a fine copy. "Ed. Edmonds / 15. Febry. 1898" signature on first blank page. <br/><br/> Leonard Smithers hardcover books
1899OW055London: Leonard Smithers and Co. 1899 First edition first printing one of 1000 copies. Publisher' pale lavender cloth with decorative leaf designs lettered in gilt to spine fore and bottom edges of text block untrimmed. A very good copy some light rubbing to the extremities some fraying to the lower corner light foxing to the first several leaves and a former owner signature to the front endpaper. Mason 381. Widely considered Wilde's masterpiece The Importance of Being Earnest is a three act play that was first performed in London at the St. James Theatre on February 14 1895 under the direction of Mr. George Alexander. A satire on Victorian social obligations the play features two protagonists John Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff both of whom use alternate identities to lead separate lives in the country and the city. Although the first performance was decidedly successful The Importance of Being Earnest was closed after only 86 shows due to the negative publicity surrounding Wilde's controversial lawsuit with The Marquess of Queensberry. Wilde moved to Paris after his reputation was tarnished and ceased writing dramas making The Importance of Being Earnest his final play. First Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good. London: Leonard Smithers and Co. hardcover books
1899150425002London: Leonard Smithers and Co 1899. First Edition. Very Good. First Edition one of 1000 copies though this copy is not numbered. In Very Good condition. Bumping to corners and wear at extremities. Soiling to cloth. Previous owner name and date to front free end paper. Toning to pages. A handsome copy. Leonard Smithers and Co unknown books
1898109921Slim 8vo. London: Leonard Smithers 1898. Slim 8vo 4. 31ff. Printed on hand-made paper on one side of the page only. Original quarter white buckram mustard boards backstrip lettered in gilt a good copy slightly soiled and backstrip browned. § First edition one of 800 copies on handmade paper. This controversial poem was written by Wilde under the pseudonym of the number he was given in prison. It includes some of Wilde’s most famous lines: “each man kills the thing he lovesâ€; “some love too little some too long some sell while others buyâ€; “every prison that men build is built with bricks of shameâ€. Leonard Smithers hardcover books
18952221665<p>First edition. 8 1/2" x 6 1/2". Original brown wrappers stamped in red lower right corner of upper cover replaced uncut and mostly unopened. Very good. 98 pages. No signatures or bookplates. Enclosed in a plum half morocco slipcase.</p><p>Printed by The Chiswick Press.</p><p>Mason 367 - only 50 copies were printed.</p> Privately Printed paperback books
18991099238vo. London: Leonard Smithers 1899. 8vo 213 1 imprintpp. Original salmon cloth stamped in gold one corner creased slightest of soiling to covers ink signature at front “Winifred M.F. Carritt Christmas 1900â€. Blue quarter morocco slipcase. § First edition one of 1000 copies. “Although Wilde's third play opened in 1895 it was not published until four years later and after Wilde had been released from prison. The success of The Ballad of Reading Gaol persuaded Wilde to publish his last two plays the other being The Importance of Being Ernest. All three were published by Leonard Smithers one of very few remaining publishers prepared to handle Wilde's work.†Sotheby’s. Mason 385. Leonard Smithers hardcover books
1894109920Small 4to. London: John Lane at the Bodley Head 1894. Small 4to xiv 154 1 pp. Original salmon buckram covers with gilt-stamped decorations gilt top backstrip lettered and stamped in gilt scattered foxing a lovely copy enclosed in a quarter blue morocco slipcase. § First edition though there were 15 copies printed for the production of the play in New York. This play contains some of Wilde’s best quips - with especially astute comments on the nature of society. A hard book to find in perfect condition -- this copy has been boxed for about 100 years and is almost flawless. On the front pastedown is a printed note: “This book is now published by John Lane at the Bodley Head in Vigo St London Wâ€. Millard 365. John Lane at the Bodley Head hardcover books
1898282548London: Smithers 1898. First. hardcover. very good. Slim 8vo mustard cloth backed in white with gilt lettering. London: Leonard Smithers 1898. Limited First Edition.<br/><br/> 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.<br/><br/> Smithers unknown books