In this long-awaited bioraphy, Wilde the legendary Victorian - brilliant writer and conversationalist, reckless flouter of social and sexual conventions - is brought to life. More astute and forbearing, yet more fallible than legend has allowed, Wilde is given here the dimensions of a modern hero. Based on fresh material from many hitherto-untapped sources, Ellmann depicts Wilde's comet-like ascent on the Victorian scene and his equally dramatic sudden eclipse. His Irish background, the actresses to whom he paid court, his ...
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In this long-awaited bioraphy, Wilde the legendary Victorian - brilliant writer and conversationalist, reckless flouter of social and sexual conventions - is brought to life. More astute and forbearing, yet more fallible than legend has allowed, Wilde is given here the dimensions of a modern hero. Based on fresh material from many hitherto-untapped sources, Ellmann depicts Wilde's comet-like ascent on the Victorian scene and his equally dramatic sudden eclipse. His Irish background, the actresses to whom he paid court, his unfortunate wife and lovers, his clothes, coiffures, and the decor of his rooms - all are presented here in vivid detail. The saga of his 1882 American tour is recounted with a wealth of new details; also his later impact on the bastions of the French literary establishment. The London of the Nineties, of Whistler and the Pre-Raphaelites, Lillie Langtry and the Prince of Wales, is evoked alongside Paris of the "belle epoque" and the Greece, Italy and North Africa of Wilde's travels. Ellmann's definitive critical account of Wilde's entire oeuvre shows him as the proponent of a radical new aesthetic who was perilously at odds with Victorian society. After his period of success and daring, the fatal love affair with Lord Alfred Douglas is followed by exposure, imprisonment, a few wretched years abroad and death in exile. The tragic end of Wilde's life leaves the reader with a sense of compassion and grief for the protagonist. This edition make the popular and best selling biography available in paperback for the first time.
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Seller's Description:
Near Fine in Near Fine jacket. Dustwrapper, stout 8vo, pp. xiv, 632. Bw ills. Slight wear to head of wrapper spine. Name on fep. Near fine. A heavy book which with packing will weigh c1500g, hence a request will be made for the extra postage at cost over the default quotation for 1000g. Size: 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall.
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Seller's Description:
Fine in Very Good jacket. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. Dustwrapper, stout 8vo, pp. xiv, 632. Bw ills. Dustwrapper has light wear to spine ends and some minor dints to covers. Priceclipped. Contents clean and tight. A heavy book which with packing will weigh c1500g, hence a request will be made for the extra postage at cost over the default quotation for 1000g for any overseas order or first class post in the UK.
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Seller's Description:
Very good in Very good jacket. VGC plus. Hamish Hamilton, 1987. Third reprint. Green hardback(gilt lettering to the spine) with Dj(very small tear on the edge of the Dj cover, two small creases and scratches on the Dj cover), both in VGC plus. Illustrated with b/w photos, drawings. Nice and clean pages as new but with two ink marks on the outer edges, previous owner's name and date(1987) written on the edge of the first blank page of the book. Nice and clean book with light shelf wear on the Dj cover.640pp including List of illustrations, notes, select bibliography, appendices A and B, index. Price clipped. Heavy book(approx 1.4 Kg).
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Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. Though second-hand, the book is still in very good shape. Minimal signs of usage may include very minor creasing on the cover or on the spine.
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Seller's Description:
Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. This book is in good condition but will show signs of previous ownership. Please expect some creasing to the spine and/or minor damage to the cover.
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Seller's Description:
Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. This book is in good condition but will show signs of previous ownership. Please expect some creasing to the spine and/or minor damage to the cover. Grubby book may have mild dirt or some staining, mostly on the edges of pages.
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Very good. All orders are dispatched within 1 working day from our UK warehouse. Established in 2004, we are dedicated to recycling unwanted books on behalf of a number of UK charities who benefit from added revenue through the sale of their books plus huge savings in waste disposal. No quibble refund if not completely satisfied.
Textbook. Authoritative and intensive study of Wilde's life. Condition, very good. Excellent value. Speedy delivery.
AnnieLou
Aug 20, 2007
Unforgettable "Oscar"
Decades of research went into this last biography writtten b;y the gifted Richard Ellmann, biographer of the "Four Dubliners", Wilde, Yeats, Joyce and Beckett. Truly a Herculean effort, illuminating the charismatic and brilliant Wilde, his "specially liberal" uprbringing by both extremely gifted parents, his scholastic awards, his successful plays and lastly and most poignantly, his scandal of an affair with "Bosie". This scandal resulted in a court sentence of two years of hard labor. The resulting expose of neglect and abuse which he chronicled in "the Reading Gaol" brought about English prison reform two years before his untimely death in 1900. You will learn and suffer with him the condemnation of his society in Victorian England. Another five star by Ellmann.