1925 Oscar Wilde : The Picture of Dorian Gray : Illustrated by Henry Keen

The Picture of Dorian Gray

By Oscar Wilde

Illustrated by Henry Keen

This is a beautifully produced illustrated edition of Wilde's classic novel. This authorised edition features twelve striking illustrations by Henry Keen, a British printmaker, painter, and lithographer known for his work in the symbolist/decadent tradition.

Published by John Lane The Bodley Head, London, 1925. First Thus. Royal octavo format, bound in black buckram cloth boards with a gilt butterfly motif to the front cover and a gilt flower design on the spine. It contains 250 pages and includes decorative head pieces and initials at the start of each chapter, as well as decorated endpapers.

Henry Keen's illustrations for this edition are widely regarded, capturing the essence of Wilde's moral fantasy novel about a young man who trades his soul for eternal youth. The book features a two-colour title page, a portrait frontispiece, and eleven black and white plates throughout the text.

It's also worth noting that this was the first edition to feature Henry Keen's illustrations, adding significant artistic value to an already iconic piece of literature.

CONDITION
A very good copy. The cloth binding is very good and the gilt remains bright and clear to both upper board and spine. The illustrated endpapers are in very good condition and the inner hinges are sound and with no cracking. Binding tight and square and with all contents present. A tad of light spotting to the half-title page, title page and again to the adverts at the rear, but text clean throughout. No names or writing to the book. Overall a very good copy.

The Picture of Dorian Gray is an 1890 philosophical fiction and gothic horror novel by Irish writer Oscar Wilde. A shorter novella-length version was published in the July 1890 issue of the American periodical Lippincott's Monthly Magazine, while the novel-length version was published in April 1891. It is Wilde's only novel, and is widely regarded as a classic of Gothic literature, having been adapted for screen, stage, plays, and other forms of art performance.

(Glass Cabinet 2)