Not long ago, I received a CD collection of Robert Burns readings from Tony Knight. In exchange, I offered to send him one of my books. The author of a journal himself, he chose One Hand Clapping. Upon its arrival, seeing how heavy it was and how much it had cost to mail, he surprised me by saying he’d hurried off an early edition of Oscar Wilde’s The Ballad of Reading Gaol. Here it is, wearing a simple dust jacket based on the title page:
The Ballad of Reading Gaol
by C. 3. 3. [Oscar Wilde]
Leonard Smithers
London
1899
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And here is the title page itself, followed by the first page of the poem:
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And so, once again, I’m the lucky recipient of an enticingly aromatic volume with a mild case of the measles. I know this: Tony’s a better man than I, for I doubt I could have parted with it.
5 comments:
Oscar Wilde's "Reading Gaol" is very beautiful, very tragic.
I love it. And to echo your refrain, two verses, that latter, of course, which has been oft repeated:
“The Chaplain would not kneel to pray
By his dishonoured grave:
Nor mark it with that blessed Cross
That Christ for sinners gave,
Because the man was one of those
Whom Christ came down to save.”
— Part IV, Page 25
“And all men kill the thing they love,
By all let this be heard,
Some do it with a bitter look,
Some with a flattering word,
The coward does it with a kiss,
The brave man with a sword!”
— Conclusion
Thanks, Conrad.
Bill
I have a first edition of De Profundus
(don't have Reading Goal)
and I have a 1 st paper edition
of that neat bio-novel (of Desmond's) I Give You Oscar Wilde
also an early edition (paper) of SOLOME w all of the Beardley drawings/prints
ahhhh...when I stick my nose into these I am transported to my other realities ....
I also have a first printin of OW's Fairy Stories
Well, Ed, judging by that living room layout of yours, I’d say you know plenty about first editions. If I ever make it out your way, I promise to inhale.
yeah
now that I got the hang of this computer
I
from time to time look
around to see what this-book or that-book is
selling for. & am
blown away at that some of these thins that i bougt new in the 50's and 60's and 70's for
say $1.50
are now replaceable at $200, $300 $400 !
and, the things pre 1974 that I have from poets I've met who signed things to me ....
WELL
had I not dropped out (1974-1998) and had stayed with it
I'd now be worth 2.3 million bucks
as it is now
what was an about 2,500 volume library is now down to about 300 books plus my own
all feeding dust motes.
anyway drop by anytime especially when you have less time.
OH and that Royal you show .. I got as my new, spare typewriter same model... rusted out my Underwood #5
the typewriter that really was Erotic
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