Click for full-size.
A Woman of No Importance
by Wilde, Oscar
- Used
- Very Good
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Very Good/No Jacket
- Seller
-
Chico, California, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Paris [London]: [Leonard Smithers], 1903. Wilde's satire of upper-class life premiered in 1893. This particular publication is a rather deceptive edition LIMITED to 250 copies. No publisher is given, but per COPAC, it is Wilde's friend Leonard Smithers, who published many of the "decadent" writers of his day, including Captain Sir Richard Burton. The city of publication is named as Paris, but even this is in doubt and is most likely London; citing Paris may have allowed a hint of scandal to attach. Tan cloth binding with titling and the date "1903" in gilt on the spine. Clean text;154 pages. Very Good condition, with minor rubbing to the margins and some red stains on the rear cover. There is a signature on the limitation page, and a different one on the Title Page. The only real defect to be noted is the presence of many more signatures - as if practicing - on the endpapers and half-title page. One would be tempted to call this "juvenalia" but these appear to be adult handwriting. Some of these are pencil, and others ink. Limited. Hard Cover. Very Good/No Jacket. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.
Synopsis
Oscar Wilde's audacious drama of social scandal centres around the revelation of Mrs Arbuthnot's long-concealed secret. A house party is in full swing at Lady Hunstanton's country home, when it is announced that Gerald Arbuthnot has been appointed secretary to the sophisticated, witty Lord Illingworth. Gerald's mother stands in the way of his appointment, but fears to tell him why, for who will believe Lord Illingworth to be a man of no importance?
Reviews
(Log in or Create an Account first!)
Details
- Bookseller
- Quercus Rare Books
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 006235
- Title
- A Woman of No Importance
- Author
- Wilde, Oscar
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Jacket Condition
- No Jacket
- Edition
- Limited
- Publisher
- [Leonard Smithers]
- Place of Publication
- Paris [London]
- Date Published
- 1903
- Size
- 8vo - over 7¾" - 9&f
- Bookseller catalogs
- Modern Literature (Irish Authors);
Terms of Sale
Quercus Rare Books
We accept checks and money orders in US Dollars. Credit card orders are accepted through Biblio. California residents add appropriate sales tax. Items are returnable for any reason within ten days of receipt (please email or call first before returning item).
About the Seller
Quercus Rare Books
Biblio member since 2006
Chico, California
About Quercus Rare Books
Quercus Books seeks out and provides to the discriminating Reader or Collector noteworthy books in the First Edition. Our particular focus is on Modern Literature (roughly from the Second World War to the present) and Irish Authors. We also retain a small stock of non-fiction titles, mostly in the fields of American Western History, American Indians, and the American Civil War. Member of IOBA - the Independent Online Booksellers Association.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Title Page
- A page at the front of a book which may contain the title of the book, any subtitles, the authors, contributors, editors, the...
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- Rubbing
- Abrasion or wear to the surface. Usually used in reference to a book's boards or dust-jacket.
How to tell if a signature is genuine
Author's signatures can undoubtedly increase the value of a rare book or first edition. The more scarce the book is, the more an autograph adds to its value. But how to tell if the signature is real? Find out how you can avoid common pitfalls in identifying an author's signature.
Using and Collecting Bookmarks
Bern Marcowitz warns against paperclips and other inappropriate page-savers, and offers a bit of advice on using and collecting bookmarks.
