WILDE, Oscar. The Sphinx. (1894- FIRST EDITION - ILLUSTRATED BY CHARLES RICKETS)

AUTHOR: WILDE, Oscar. 

TITLE: The Sphinx.

PUBLISHER: London: Elkin Mathews & John Lane at The Sign of The Bodley Head, 1894.

DESCRIPTION: FIRST EDITION. 1 vol., 8-1/2" x 7", illustrated by Charles Rickets, limited to 200 copies, printed in 3 colors, bound in original art nouveau gilt decorated vellum.

CONDITION: Covers straight (often found quite bowed), inner and outer hinges fine, head and foot of spine fine, foxing to one side of the first 8 leaves (typical), previous owners bookplate to front pastedown, housed in a 1/2 red morocco clamshell slipcase, raised bands gilt decorated spine, overall still a VERY GOOD copy.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Charles Ricketts's art nouveau illustrations, were described by W. E. Henley, Wilde's harshest critic, as "about as fin-de-Siecle a business as you ever saw" (Frankel, p. 155). Ricketts considered the designs for the illustrations and for the original vellum binding amongst his best work.

While predominantly working with book illustration and design, Ricketts was also famed for his theater designs and costumes, and he contributed to the first English production of Wilde's Salome in 1906.