Limited Editions Club The Short Stories Of Oscar Wilde
Item History & Price
What can one say about Oscar Wilde that has not been said? He was the leader of the decadent movement of the 1890s, he sought sensation for its own sake. His downfall was all the more terrible for the heights from which it came. He died at the turn of the 19th century, leaving behind only vehement critics or defenders; there was no middle way. His work survived the controversial personality of the author; it is brilliant, the result of genius, decadence notwithstanding. For this editio...n of The Short Stories of Oscar Wilde we have the colorful, often grim paintings of James Hill. Hill was a Canadian artist who turned to New York and book illustrations. Many of his covers were selected by the Society of Illustrators for their New York show. In 1967, the year before this publication, he received the Society's Gold Medal, and was named Artist of the Year by the Artists' Guild. For this edition, Hill created 14 oil paintings in electrifying colors, beautifully suited to the author's bizarre imagination. Several of the works are collages! His original rendering of the lady in "The Sphinx Without a Secret" included actual feathers affixed to the painting. It endures as the frontispiece for this book. In a section of the painting of "The Fisherman and His Soul" there are cutouts of tiny reproductions of famous pictures. Twelve are full page and two are double page spreads. The reproductions, by William Mangini and his fellow artisans at Rainbows, Inc., of Hazardville, Connecticut, have been printed by the Holyoke Lithographic Company of Holyoke, Massachusetts. The Lane Press in Burlington, Vermont printed the book, and the typography was completed by Robert Dothard of Brattleboro, Vermont. The paper is a smooth white woven antique, made for this edition at the Mohawk Mills in Cohoes, New York. The binding, in full pomegranate colored striated silk with a harmonizing leather label stamped in gold leaf, was completed by William Fortney and his associates at the Russel-Rutter bindery. The book is number 308 of 1500 and is signed by James Hill. The offer includes both the Limited Editions Club pre-publication announcement (with the original invoice of the subscriber) and the four page Monthly Letter. This would be an ideal purchase for LEC collectors, lovers of short stories, fans of Oscar Wilde and his erotic world, or admirers of great writing. The offering is as close to mint as it can get. Thank you for reading this presentation, and good luck in your searches.
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