OSCAR WILDE – THE BALLAD OF READING GAOL

The important 1899 seventh edition, published in London by Leonard Smithers.

This is the first edition to reveal publicly that the previously anonymous author “C.3.3.” was Oscar Wilde. The title page retains Wilde’s Reading Gaol cell number but adds his name beneath it in square brackets.

The first six editions, all published during 1898, identified the author only as C.3.3. Wilde’s identity first appeared in this seventh edition, published in June 1899 during his lifetime.

An important association with Wilde’s imprisonment: C.3.3. signified cell block C, landing three, cell three at Reading Gaol, where he served part of his sentence. The poem was inspired by his prison experiences and the execution of fellow prisoner Charles Thomas Wooldridge.

Published by Leonard Smithers, London, 1899. Copyright February 1898. Printed on substantial laid paper with untrimmed page edges and bound in cloth-backed boards.

Condition is age-worn. The binding has marking, rubbing, creasing and surface wear. There is some spotting and toning internally, particularly around the preliminary pages. Please examine all photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the condition description.

A highly collectible early lifetime edition and the first printing to identify C.3.3. explicitly as Oscar Wilde.