The Ballad of Reading Gaol
by Oscar Wilde
- 2 Ratings
- 25 Want to read
- 1 Currently reading
- 4 Have read
This edition was set from the second English edition published by Leonard Smithers.
Three pirated editions of Wilde’s classic poem were issued in America in 1899, the Tucker edition is the second of the three, being preceded by the first printing of the Brentano's edition, dated January 1, 1899.
Check nearby libraries
Buy this book
Previews available in: English
Showing 11 featured editions. View all 75 editions?
| Edition | Availability |
|---|---|
01
|
bbbb
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
02
|
bbbb
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
03
|
bbbb
|
04
|
bbbb
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
05
|
bbbb
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
06
|
bbbb
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
07
|
bbbb
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
08
|
bbbb
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
09
The Ballad of Reading Gaol
April 8, 1899, Benj. R. Tucker, Publisher
Hardcover
in English
- Unauthorized Second American Edition
|
aaaa
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
10
|
bbbb
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
11
|
bbbb
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
Book Details
Published in
New York
Edition Notes
New York: Benjamin R. Tucker. Second American edition.
Printed on one side of leaf only, even numbers on verso, odd numbers on recto.
Hardbound.
16mo, pp. 44 (unnumbered), 1899 (April). Gilt-stamped blue cloth with white cloth spine. Small oval bookstore logo in the lower right hand corner of the front pastedown. Price $1.00.
Pamphlet.
12mo, beige paper wrappers and cloth, uncut, 44 pp., price 10 cents.
Classifications
Contributors
The Physical Object
ID Numbers
Work Description
The Ballad of Reading Gaol is a poem by Oscar Wilde, written in exile either in Berneval or in Dieppe, France, after his release from Reading Gaol on or about 19 May 1897. Wilde had been incarcerated in Reading, after being convicted of homosexual offences in 1895 and sentenced to two years' hard labour in prison.
During his imprisonment, on Saturday 7 July 1896, a hanging took place. Charles Thomas Wooldridge (ca. 1866 – 7 July 1896) had been a trooper in the Royal Horse Guards. He was convicted of cutting the throat of his wife, Laura Ellen, earlier that year at Clewer, near Windsor. He was only aged 30 when executed. This had a profound effect on Wilde, inspiring the line "Yet each man kills the thing he loves."
The finished poem was published by Leonard Smithers in 1898 under the name C.3.3., which stood for cell block C, landing 3, cell 3. This ensured that Wilde's name – by then notorious – did not appear on the poem's front cover. It was not commonly known, until the 7th printing in June 1899, that C.3.3. was actually Wilde.
Community Reviews (0)
Feedback?Lists
See All
History
- Created April 1, 2008
- 17 revisions
Wikipedia citation
×CloseCopy and paste this code into your Wikipedia page. Need help?
| December 11, 2023 | Edited by MARC Bot | import existing book |
| September 14, 2020 | Edited by MARC Bot | import existing book |
| January 22, 2013 | Edited by Ben Companjen | removed bogus classification "LCCN Permalink" |
| November 30, 2011 | Edited by Violet | Update covers |
| April 1, 2008 | Created by an anonymous user | Imported from Scriblio MARC record. |