- 134
[Wilde, Oscar]
Estimate
1,000 - 1,500 GBP
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Description
- [Wilde, Oscar]
- The Ballad of Reading Gaol by C.3.3. [The Chiswick Press for] Leonard Smithers, 1898
- paper
8vo, FIRST EDITION, ONE OF 800 COPIES ON DUTCH HAND-MADE PAPER, edge uncut, original vellum-backed cinnamon cloth, spine lettered in gilt, preserved in specially made quarter brown cloth folding box, minor offsetting to endpapers, traces of wear to covers
Literature
Mason 372
Condition
Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, when appropriate.
"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."
"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."
Catalogue Note
A FINE COPY OF THE FIRST EDITION OF WILDE'S CELEBRATED AND IMPASSIONED POEM, narrating the story of Charles Thomas Wooldridge, who was executed at Reading Gaol on 7th July 1896 for the murder of his wife.
Writing in his collection of essays The Redress of Poetry (1996) Seamus Heaney wrote that the opening lines "...conjure up a mood of distress that is inseparable from the thought of Oscar Wilde's disgrace, his negative transformation at the height of his fame from idol to ogre of the English cultural scene..."
"I should not like to die without seeing my poem as good as I can make a poem, whose subject is all wrong, and whose treatment too personal..."