# - Wilde, Oscar.

asking him to come and dine with him the next evening, and commenting on "your books" ("...[they] are our joy...how extravagant it all is! I read 'Diana' with a sense of perilous joy, of guilty pleasure..."), 3 pages, 8vo, headed stationery of 16 Tite Street, Chelsea, autograph envelope, postmarked 27 August 1889, traces of former mounting at top corners, some very light spotting, dust-staining and offsetting of ink

this letter is not printed in The Complete Letters of Oscar Wilde, ed. Merlin Holland & Rupert Hart-Davis, 2000.

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate. If you require additional information we would recommend viewing the item during the exhibition or contacting one of the specialists for this sale.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The solicitor Arthur Clifton (1862-1932), who became a successful London art dealer after opening the Carfax Gallery in 1898, was a frequent visitor at Tite Street and wrote poems, one of which Wilde included in the March 1889 issue of Woman's World. Clifton remained a loyal friend to Wilde, and was one of the few who stood by him during his last years.