WILDE, OscarBiblio.com
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189469042London: Elkin Matthews and John Lane at the sign of the Bodley Head 1894. RICKETTS Charles. . The Sphinx. With decorations by Charles Ricketts. London: Elkin Matthews and John Lane at the sign of the Bodley Head 1894.<br> <br> Full Description:<br> <br> WILDE Oscar. The Sphinx. With decorations by Charles Ricketts. London: Elkin Matthews and John Lane at the sign of the Bodley Head 1894.<br> <br> First edition. One of 200 copies for Great Britain printed on handmade paper. Small quarto 8 5/8 x 6 3/4 inches; 218 x 172 mm. 4 blank 6 27 1 blank 1 imprint 5 blank pp. Title-page printed in black red and green. Ten illustrations by Ricketts in the text including title-page of which eight are full-page all printed in red. Initial letters one large and twelve medium and guide words printed in green.<br> <br> Original vellum decoratively paneled and pictorially stamped in gilt after designs by Ricketts whose monogram appears in the lower left-hand corners. Gilt is bright and vellum generally clean. Vellum very slightly bowed as usual. Some foxing throughout as usual. Overall about fine.<br> <br> "The Sphinx is his Rickett's best book. The result is a perfect whole as harmonious as it is dazzling." Ray.<br> <br> Mason 361. Ray Illustrator and the Book 262.<br> <br> HBS 69042.<br> <br> $8500. Elkin Matthews and John Lane, at the sign of the Bodley Head unknown
1894OW056London: 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
1899140949181London: 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.<br /> <br /> <p>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
18931064London/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. <p> <p>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. <p>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.<p>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. <p>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." <p>Covers somewhat marked and warped. Silk ties mostly perished remains laid in. Condition overall: Very Good. Kelmscott Press hardcover
1894835081894. 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
1881ST20886London: David Bogue 1881. FIRST EDITION First Issue. 192 x 126 mm. 7 1/2 x 5". ix 1 236 1 pp. <br/> 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.<br/> <br/> 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
1894140949078London: 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. <p>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
1894185053London: 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
1888170816London: 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. Head of spine lightly worn boards rubbed a couple of bumps to extremities short split to front inner hinge endpapers and outer leaves lightly foxed contents otherwise clean and unmarked. A very good copy of this fragile production. Mason 313 "1000 copies". Richard Ellmann Oscar Wilde 1987. hardcover
1894282902London: 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.<br/> <br/> Mason 365. One of only 50 copies printed simultaneously with the first trade edition. Internally fine and clean.<br/> <br/> John Lane unknown
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
189421246961894. 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. x 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.Salome was written in French in late 1891 while Wilde was staying in Paris and accepted for production by Sarah Bernhardt at the London Opera House in 1892. However the Lord Chamberlain prohibited performances because of a ban on Biblical figures being presented on stage an outcome that understandably incensed Wilde. It was finally published in French in 1893 and then in this translation in 1894. Translating the nuances of Wilde's original text written in an idiosyncratic French has been acknowledged as a Herculean task by all those who have attempted it including Beardsley. Even though Wilde himself assisted Douglas the author and the translator nearly came to blows: 'Wilde immediately complained of Douglas's sloppy schoolboy French and an infuriated Douglas blamed any faults upon the original. He and Wilde nearly split over the disagreements and Robbie Ross - doubtless to his later regret - made peace between them that Fall' Daniel. 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.Mason 350; Ross 'Later Work' 86; Samuels Lasner 59. See Daniel 'Lost In Translation: Oscar Bosie and Salome' Princeton University Library Chronicle 2007. hardcover
1899182434London: 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
1899186847London: 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
1899ST19154London: Leonard Smithers and Co 1899. FIRST EDITION. ONE OF 1000 COPIES. 215 x 155 mm. 8 3/8 x 6". 8 p.l. 213 1 pp. <br/> Original lavender cloth decorated with gilt flourishes smooth spine with gilt lettering edges untrimmed and ENTIRELY UNOPENED. Mason 385. ◆Spine slightly sunned as virtually always but no wear to joints or hinges and in all A REMARKABLY WELL-PRESERVED OBVIOUSLY UNREAD COPY because unopened and without the soiling this edition is almost always found with.<br/> <br/> This is an exceptionally fine copy of Wilde's second hit play successful like his other witty comedies but with at least slightly more serious social and political content. Opening at the Haymarket Theatre in 1895 and continuing for 124 performances it features as the title character a prominent politician in danger of losing his reputation because of a potentially damaging letter that the play's villain threatens to expose if the husband refuses to support the former's corrupt political agenda. The play moves its characters toward a more ideal moral standard as they struggle with dishonesty hypocrisy double standards materialism and corruption of social and political life. But none of this weighs down Wilde's witty banter as the play suggests after all that even when there is a pretense of the embrace of moral probity nobody is ever that good or is even expected to be. The work is dedicated to the Irish-American writer Frank Harris who is said to have given Wilde the idea to use insider trading which related to Disraeli's financial machinations as part of the plot here. Covering the play for the "Saturday Review" George Bernard Shaw declared Wilde 1854-1900 "our only thorough playwright. He plays with everything: with wit with philosophy with drama with actors and audience with the whole theatre." On nearly all copies of this edition the publisher's binding is now encountered in unappetizing condition; finding our unopened copy--with virtually none of the soiling almost always seen with the four Wilde plays bound in this lavender cloth--is piece of very good fortune. Leonard Smithers and Co unknown
18991300991899. First Edition. WILDE Oscar. An Ideal Husband. London: Leonard Smithers and Co. 1899. Octavo original lavender cloth gilt uncut; housed in a custom chemise and slipcase. $4800.Limited first edition one of 1000 unnumbered copies a very nice copy in original decorative cloth designed by Charles Shannon.Wilde's play premiered in January 1895 to an audience that included the Prince of Wales and was an immediate success. Four months later Wilde was in disgrace following his arrest for soliciting homosexual acts and his name was removed from the play's marquee similarly it appears nowhere in this edition. The play closed shortly thereafter and did not appear in print until this first edition. Mason 385. Text about-fine cloth spine with slight fading small mark near base. An extremely good copy. hardcover
189916609JLondon: Leonard Smithers 1899. First Edition. Bookplate of noted writer and book collector Carroll Atwood Wilson. Laid in this copy are two printed in-house reports sheets from the Theatre Royal Haymarket from the play’s first run of 124 performances. Handwritten in ink are the sums tallying the box office receipts for the 93rd and 94th performances of An Ideal Husband on March 23 1895. The matinee brought in 82 pounds and the evening performance totaled 144 pounds. Remarkably this copy still has the pages unopened and intact. Slight chipping at top of spine else very good. Leonard Smithers unknown
1894182536London: John Lane at the Sign of the Bodley Head 1894. Mr Oscar Wilde is not in the house First edition one of 500 trade copies. The play's opening show 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. The play premiered at Haymarket Theatre on 19 April 1893 and ran until 16 August for 113 performances. A further 50 large paper copies were also issued. Small quarto. Publisher's 16-page catalogue dated March 1894 at rear. Original pink linen with gilt floral decorations by Charles Shannon spine lettered in gilt fore and bottom edges untrimmed. Housed in a custom green cloth slipcase and chemise. Faint marks and fading to spine ends slightly bumped cloth lightly rubbed contents toned as usual. A very good copy. Mason 364. Richard Ellmann Oscar Wilde 1988; Joel Kaplan "Wilde on the Stage" in Peter Raby ed. The Cambridge Companion to Oscar Wilde 1997. hardcover
1898162864London: Leonard Smithers 1898. Written from exile in France First and limited edition one of 800 unnumbered copies printed on handmade paper; a further 30 copies on japon were also issued. Wilde published this work under the pseudonym "C.3.3." after his cell in Reading Gaol the third cell on the third landing of Gallery C. The first edition sold out rapidly and a second edition was printed within weeks. Octavo. Original white quarter cloth spine lettered in gilt yellow cloth sides fore and bottom edges untrimmed. Housed in a custom pink morocco backed slipcase and chemise. Bookplate of Douglass Cooper to front pastedown. Spine ends bumped a little soiling to cloth endpapers lightly browned and foxed else a near-fine copy in unusually nice condition. Mason 371. hardcover
1899182530London: Leonard Smithers and Co. 1899. I really think it reads the best of my plays First edition trade issue one of 1000 copies. Wilde's political comedy premiered at the Haymarket on 3 January 1895 and ran until 6 April. His arrest the day before the production closed precipitated his "utter social destruction" ODNB and the play was not published in book form until two years after his release from prison. An Ideal Husband led George Bernard Shaw to hail Wilde as "our only thorough playwright. He plays with everything: with wit with philosophy with drama with actors and audience with the whole theatre" Saturday Review 12 January 1895. Wilde himself wrote to the publisher stating that "I really think it reads the best of my plays" cited in Nelson p. 392. The edition also included 100 signed copies on large paper and 12 on Japanese vellum reserved for presentation. Small quarto. Original pink linen with gilt floral motifs after designs by Charles Shannon spine lettered in gilt fore and bottom edges uncut. Bookplate of the collector and Steinbeck bibliographer Adrian Homer Goldstone 1897-1977. Spine cocked and sunned extremities bumped occasional patches of rubbing contents foxed. A very good copy. Mason 385. James G. Nelson Publisher to the Decadents: Leonard Smithers in the Careers of Beardsley Wilde Dowson 2000. hardcover
1898180349London: Leonard Smithers 1898. Unusual in a fine contemporary binding First edition one of 800 copies printed on handmade paper. This copy is beautifully presented and includes the well-preserved wrappers at the rear. At the insistence of his publishers Wilde employed a pseudonym for fear of the negative effect his name would have on the poem's sales. "C.3.3." derives from Wilde's cell in Reading Gaol - the third cell on the third landing of Gallery C. The first edition of which another 30 copies on japon were also issued sold out rapidly. A second edition was printed within weeks. Octavo 220 x 135 mm. Contemporary brown crushed morocco by Rivière spine lettered in gilt with raised bands compartments tooled with floral design French fillet to boards gilt inner dentelles dark green coated endpapers top edge gilt fore and bottom edges uncut original wrappers bound in. Label sometime removed from front pastedown rear blanks lightly toned from wrappers. A fine copy. Mason 371. hardcover
1899355490724400London 1899. First Edition. Hard Cover. London: Leonard Smithers 1899. First Edition. First Printing. This is the first impression which was limited to 1000 copies this being # 33. Publisher's original pale salmon binding with gilt leaf stamping to panels. 152 pages. This copy is about VG with the usual slight fading to the gilt leaf. Boards clean and tidy with no noteworthy issues. There is a book-plate to the front paste-down of "Richard Buckle". No previous owner inscriptions. The spine has been sympathetically and skilfully re-backed in brown morocco with the title and author in gilt with leaf stamps blind-stamped in three places. The interior of the book is clean tidy and tightly bound with minor foxing to several pages. Photographs/scans available upon request. hardcover
18981262071898. First Edition. WILDE Oscar. The Ballad of Reading Gaol by C.3.3. London: Leonard Smithers 1898. Slim octavo original half cream cloth with cinnamon cloth boards uncut. $3600.First edition one of only 800 copies printed on handmade paper.Inspired by his prison experience and comprised in part by a plea for penal reform The Ballad of Reading Gaol was the last work Wilde completed before his death in 1900. ""In his comedies the miscreants were always pardoned but in the Ballad while ultimately forgiven they are treated vindictively by their fellows who are equally guilty There is no doubt that Wilde had once again touched a great subject and left his fingerprints on it once read it is never forgotten"" Ellmann 532-34. Mason 371. A few pinholes to two preliminary leaves interior otherwise fine. One tiny inkspot to front cover spine slightly toned. A handsome extremely good copy of this scarce first edition. hardcover
189859504New York:: Brentano's 1898. First US edition first printing. publisher's olive cloth decorated in colors; preserved in a custom quarter morocco folding box. . Cloth lightly rubbed at edges joints and corners; 1899 private library book label on pastedown; but an attractive tight and sound copy. . 12mo. Horodisch pp. 72-75. Brentano's, hardcover
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
