The Ballad of Reading Gaol. London: Leonard Smithers, 1898. Third Edition, First Limited Issue. Publisher’s white linen backed purple cloth boards with design in gilt on upper cover by Charles Ricketts, title lettered in gilt to spine, pages unopened. Light shelf-wear to boards, but overall a nice bright copy.

Limited Edition of 99 Numbered Copies, Signed by Oscar Wilde. This copy is Number 20.

The elimination of self had its apogee in The Ballad of Reading Gaol. “Its theme was the man hanged in Reading while Wilde was there, Charles Thomas Wooldridge (1866-1897), trooper of the Royal Horse Guards, who had murdered his wife.” With high dramatic sense Wilde turned the sufferings of all the other convicts into a subordinate but supportive chorus. The poem made no denial of guilt, although its hanged prisoner ultimately suffered more than the rest, and embodied their agonies more intensely.’ (Owen Dudley Edwards, Oxford DNB).

Wilde first suggested this edition in a letter to his publisher dated 18 February 1898: ‘…why not print some copies on some special paper – not Japanese; that you have done. I want to distribute about ten copies in Paris, and don’t like to give second editions to people…’ (Complete Letters, p.1018). A week later, on 25 February 1898, Wilde asked Smithers to ‘…see about… the Author’s Edition with a cover by Ricketts – a new colour and a remarque in gold’ (Complete Letters, p.1025).

The edition was sold at 10s.6d. and this led Wilde to complain: ‘I think 10/6 for copies signed by the author too little. My signature should be worth more than Japanese paper. Think of this point.’ (Complete Letters, p.1031).