The Ballad of Reading Gaol.

Wilde, Oscar. With Woodcuts by Frans Masereel

Published by Methuen & Co. Ltd, London, 1925

About this Item

First illustrated edition of this rare Wilde title. Royal octavo, original half cloth, illustrated with woodcuts by Frans Masereel. One of 450 numbered copies, this is number 16. Fine in the rare original dust jacket which is in very good condition. Wildeâ s â theme is not, as is often supposed, artâ s divorce from life, but its inescapable arraignment by experience. His creative works almost always end in unmasking. The hand that adjusts the green carnation suddenly shakes an admonitory finger. While the ultimate virtue in Wildeâ s essays is in make-believe, the denouement of his dramas and narratives is that masks have to go. We must acknowledge what we are. Wilde at least was keen to do so. Though he offered himself as the apostle of pleasure, his created world contains much painâ (Ellmann, xvi). Seller Inventory # 139325

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Ballad of Reading Gaol.

Publisher: Methuen & Co. Ltd, London

Publication Date: 1925

Binding: Hardcover

Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included

Edition: 1st Edition