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Wilde, Oscar. An Ideal Husband.. Leonard Smithers and Co, London, 1899.

Price: US$1400.00 + shipping

Description: First edition of Wilde's classic comedic stage play. Octavo, bound in full morocco by the Harcourt Bindery, gilt titles and ruling to the spine, raised bands, gilt ruled to the front and rear panels, inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. In fine condition. An exceptional presentation. Wilde’s play premiered in January 1895 to an audience that included the Prince of Wales, and was an immediate success. Together with The Importance of Being Earnest, An Ideal Husband is often considered Wilde's dramatic masterpiece. After Earnest, it is his most popularly produced play. It has been adapted to film several times, first in 1935, most recently in 1999 starring Julianne Moore, Minnie Driver, Cate Blanchett and Rupert Everett.

Seller: Raptis Rare Books, Palm Beach, FL, U.S.A.

WILDE, Oscar. The Importance of Being Ernest, a Trivial Comedy for Serious People. By the Author of Lady Windermere's Fan.. Leonard Smithers, London, 1899.

Price: US$4000.00 + shipping

Condition: Very Good

Description: First edition, trade issue. One of 1000 copies. Mauve cloth, decorated in gilt. Spine very slightly toned. Bookplates. Fine, a fresh copy. Mason/Millard 381.

Seller: Garrett Herman, Toronto, ON, Canada

Wilde, Oscar. An Ideal Husband (By the Author of Lady Windermere's Fan). Leonard Smithers & Co., London, 1899.

Price: US$4367.29 + shipping

Condition: Very Good

Description: FIRST EDITION. LIMITED EDITION. Being 1 of 1000 unnumbered copies. With "One thousand copies of this edition have been printed" to first blank following title page. There was no author stated on the first printing, with merely "By the Author of Lady Windermere's Fan" printed on title page, as per this copy. Dedication to Frank Harris printed in the front of the book. Printed at the Chiswick Press:- Charles Wittington & Co., Tooks Court, Chancery Lane, London. "An Ideal Husband is an 1895 comedic stage play by Oscar Wilde which revolves around blackmail and political corruption, and touches on the themes of public and private honour. In the summer of 1893, Oscar Wilde began writing An Ideal Husband, and he completed it later that winter. He initially sent the completed play to the Garrick Theatre, where the manager rejected it, but it was soon accepted by the Haymarket Theatre. The play gave the Haymarket the success it desperately needed. After opening on 3 January 1895, it continued for 124 performances. In April of that year, Wilde was arrested for 'gross indecency' and his name was publicly removed from the play. On 6 April, the same day as Wilde's arrest, the play moved to the Criterion Theatre where it ran from 13-27 April. The play was published in July 1899 when Wilde was living in France, although Wilde was not listed as the author. This published version differs slightly from the performed play, for Wilde added many passages and cut others. Prominent additions included written stage directions and character descriptions. Together with The Importance of Being Earnest, it is often considered Wilde's dramatic masterpiece. After Earnest, it is his most popularly produced play." Bound in publisher's original lavender cloth, bright gilt lettering to spine (title, publisher & date, with no mention of author), with bright gilt nouveau feather design to both front & rear boards plus spine, edges untrimmed. The binding was designed by wood engraver, lithographer, and painter Charles Shannon, who also designed the binding of Oscar Wilde's Lady Windermere's Fan, A Woman of No Importance, and The Importance of Being Earnest. Throughout the 1890s, artist and designer Charles Ricketts and his lifelong friend and companion Charles Shannon designed, either singly or together, almost all of Wilde's books. Slight handling wear, mild surface rubbing to boards, top edge & fore-edge cloth partly rubbed/worn through to boards, light toning to endpapers, bookseller's tiny label to rear pastedown, otherwise overall a VERY GOOD nice clean tight solid hardcover copy. Internally clean & unmarked. Pagination complete. 213pp. RARE.

Seller: Bookwood, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Wilde, Oscar.. The Importance of Being Earnest. Leonard Smithers, 1899.

Price: US$4500.00 + shipping

Condition: Near Fine

Description: First Edition. First Printing. This is the first impression, which was limited to 1,000 copies. This original binding is bound in pale salmon cloth with gilt leaf stamping to panels. The cloth has wear at the extremities, rubbing and minor fraying. The corners are bumped and the spine ends are softened. There is what seems to be a stain from a glass on the bottom of the front board, and there is a very small burn mark to the back board near the spine. The pages are crisp and flat, having browned just slightly with age. The front inside cover is inscribed, "To La Belle Francaise 'Baby'" from "T--L--Y." (After extensive research, I think T-L-Y might be someone who was involved with the English or American theater scene in the 1940's or '50's.) There is a small contemporary note right above it, marked "Feb. 1901." Other than those two markings, the interior of the book is untouched and in wonderful condition. Overall, a lovely copy of this rare book in collector's condition. Trades and offers considered.

Seller: Magnum Opus Rare Books, Missoula, MT, U.S.A.

WILDE, Oscar.. The Importance of Being Earnest. A Trivial Comedy for Serious People.. London Leonard Smithers and Co, 1899.

Price: US$4537.50 + shipping

Description: Limited edition, no. 371 of 1000 copies; small 4to; half-title, publisher's lilac cloth gilt designed by Charles Shannon, very light soiling, spine slightly faded. First performed on 14th February 1895, The Importance of Being Earnest marked the zenith of Wilde's career, and followed on from the success of Lady Windermere's Fan, An Ideal Husband, and A Woman of No Importance. However, as his professional star rose, so did the escalation of his feud with Lord Queensberry, father of his lover Lord Alfred Douglas (Bosie). Only four days after the opening of the play Lord Queensberry left his card at Wilde's club, scrawled with the words 'For Oscar Wilde posing somdomite' [sic]. Wilde, despite the advice of his friends but egged on by his lover, sued Queensberry for libel, and the rest his history. On 25th May, in the ensuing trial brought by the Crown, Wilde was convicted of gross indecency and sentenced to two years in prison with hard labour.

Seller: Shapero Rare Books, London, United Kingdom

Wilde, Oscar. [Wilde, Oscar- Stunning Fine Copy] The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People. Leonard Smithers, London, 1899.

Price: US$7500.00 + shipping

Description: First Edition. Quarto. Original gilt-stamped mauve cloth with superb and famous decorative design on both covers and spine by Charles Shannon. An amazing copy, apart from very small nick on front cover, a fine copy, with no little to no fading to color-sensitive covers, no loss of gilt, corners barely bumped, front and back hinges fully intact, and the entire contents almost as new, with slight browning to rear fly leaf! Rarely seen thus. Limited to 1000 numbered copies, this copy unnumbered, as often seen. The play opened in February, 1895 in London, and met with instant acclaim. However, the premiere was nearly ruined when the Marquess of Queensberry, angry at Wilde's affair with Lord Alfred Douglas, his son, tried to break into the theater and disrupt the play. This is the best copy we have ever seen of this title.

Seller: Nudelman Rare Books, Seattle, WA, U.S.A.

Wilde, Oscar. An Ideal Husband.. Leonard Smithers and Co, London, 1899.

Price: US$22000.00 + shipping

Description: First edition, signed limited edition. Octavo, original lavender publisher's cloth. OneÂof 100 large paper copies signed by Oscar Wilde. In very good condition with some light rubbing and darkening to the extremities.ÂHoused in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Wilde’s play premiered in January 1895 to an audience that included the Prince of Wales, and was an immediate success. Together with The Importance of Being Earnest, An Ideal Husband is often considered Wilde's dramatic masterpiece. After Earnest, it is his most popularly produced play. It has been adapted to film several times, first in 1935, most recently in 1999 starring Julianne Moore, Minnie Driver, Cate Blanchett and Rupert Everett. Mason 385.

Seller: Raptis Rare Books, Palm Beach, FL, U.S.A.

Wilde, Oscar. An Ideal Husband.. Leonard Smithers and Co, London, 1899.

Price: US$25000.00 + shipping

Description: First signed limited edition of Wilde's classic comedic stage play. Octavo, original lavender publisher's cloth with gilt titles to the spine and gilt flourishes to the spine and front panel. One of 100 large paper copies signed by Oscar Wilde, this is number 85. In near fine condition with a touch of toning. Housed in a custom half morocco slipcase. A superior example. Wilde’s play premiered in January 1895 to an audience that included the Prince of Wales, and was an immediate success. Together with The Importance of Being Earnest, An Ideal Husband is often considered Wilde's dramatic masterpiece. After Earnest, it is his most popularly produced play. It has been adapted to film several times, first in 1935, most recently in 1999 starring Julianne Moore, Minnie Driver, Cate Blanchett and Rupert Everett.

Seller: Raptis Rare Books, Palm Beach, FL, U.S.A.

Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People.. Leonard Smithers and Co, London, 1899.

Price: US$48000.00 + shipping

Description: Signed limited large-paper edition of the author’s masterpiece, number 68 of 100 copies signed by Oscar Wilde on the limitation page. Octavo, original pale purple cloth, gilt titles to the spine, gilt floral motifs from designs by Charles Shannon on spine and covers, edges untrimmed. Presentation copy, with an autograph letter signed by the third and final wife of Nobel Prize-winning playwright Eugene O'Neill, actress Carlotta Monterey O'Neill, to stage actor Harrison K. Ford laid in which reads, "To Harrison Ford Do hope you will enjoy this!- All good wishes Carlotta Monterey O'Neill Dec 6th 31 1095 Park Ave.-" From the library of Harrison K. Ford with his bookplate to the front pastedown. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. In near fine condition. An exceptional example with noted provenance. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious personæ to escape burdensome social obligations. Working within the social conventions of late Victorian London, the play's major themes are the triviality with which it treats institutions as serious as marriage, and the resulting satire of Victorian ways. Contemporary reviews all praised the play's humour, though some were cautious about its explicit lack of social messages, while others foresaw the modern consensus that it was the culmination of Wilde's artistic career so far. Its high farce and witty dialogue have helped make The Importance of Being Earnest Wilde's most enduringly popular play. The successful opening night marked the climax of Wilde's career but also heralded his downfall. The Marquess of Queensberry, whose son Lord Alfred Douglas was Wilde's lover, planned to present the writer with a bouquet of rotten vegetables and disrupt the show. Wilde was tipped off and Queensberry was refused admission. Soon afterwards their feud came to a climax in court, where Wilde's homosexual double life was revealed to the Victorian public and he was eventually sentenced to imprisonment. His notoriety caused the play, despite its early success, to be closed after 86 performances. After his release, he published the play from exile in Paris, but he wrote no further comic or dramatic work.

Seller: Raptis Rare Books, Palm Beach, FL, U.S.A.

Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest. Leonard Smithers and Co, London, 1899.

Price: US$60000.00 + shipping

Condition: Near Fine

Description: Signed limited first edition. [xii], 152 pp. Bound in publisher's original pale lavender cloth with gilt spine lettering and decorations by Charles Shannon. Copy number 82 of 100 large paper copies signed by Oscar Wilde with a flourish. Near Fine with subtle sunning, several barely discernible spots to cloth, short bubble to rear cloth. Typical offsetting to endpapers, and a 5" tear to the rear endpaper. Contents bright and fresh. A beautiful copy. Wilde's masterpiece, which opened to wide acclaim at the St. James's Theatre, London, on February 14, 1895. It was withdrawn after 86 performances following his arrest and imprisonment on charges of gross indecency as a consequence of his failed libel suit against Lord Queensbury, the father of Wilde's homosexual lover, Lord Alfred Douglas. He was outed as gay (a disgrace in Victorian society) and the play was not published in any form until the present edition, following his release from prison. It has been hailed as an exemplary farce, called by poet W.H. Auden "a pure verbal opera."

Seller: Burnside Rare Books, ABAA, Portland, OR, U.S.A.