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Bibliography of Oscar Wilde
London: T. Werner Laurie, 1916. Item #06456
The first and still foundational bibliography of Oscar Wilde
MASON, Stuart [pseud. of Christopher Sclater Millard]. WILDE, Oscar. Bibliography of Oscar Wilde. With a note by Robert Ross. Illustrated. London: T. Werner Laurie, [n.d., ca. 1916].
Octavo (8 1/4 x 5 1/4 inches; 210 x 133 mm.). xxxii, 605, [3] pp. Numerous facsimiles throughout the text.
Bound ca. 1960 in three quarter purple morocco over purple cloth boards ruled in gilt, spine with five raised bands, tooled and lettered in gilt in compartments, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt, spine faded. Original pink cloth covers bound in at end.
The first and still foundational bibliography of Oscar Wilde, compiled by his friend and literary defender Christopher Sclater Millard, writing under the pseudonym “Stuart Mason.”
Produced with the close cooperation of Robert Ross, Wilde’s literary executor, this work remains indispensable for collectors, scholars, and the trade.
Millard’s bibliography is far more than a mere listing: it provides detailed descriptions of Wilde’s books, pamphlets, periodical contributions, and translations, along with valuable notes on variants, piracies, and publication history. Issued at a time when Wilde’s reputation was still in recovery following his death in 1900, the book represents an early and important effort to establish a serious scholarly framework for Wilde’s oeuvre.
Particularly useful are the numerous facsimiles - title-pages, wrappers, and documents - which give the work practical bibliographical authority and make it a key reference for identifying first editions and priority issues.
A cornerstone Wilde reference, here in an attractive mid-twentieth-century morocco binding, well suited to the collector’s shelf.
Price: $450.00