Reprinted here for the first time since the limited edition of 1932, this is one of the most evocative and charming texts ever written about Oscar Wilde and the circles he moved in.
Charles Ricketts (1866-1931), painter, illustrator, theatrical designer and publisher, was one of Wilde’s closest friends; he also worked on stage productions and books with Wilde. He later set up his own, hugely influential presses. Shortly before he died he finally wrote this account of his friendship with Wilde, partly as an imagined conversation with a fictitious French writer, Jean Paul Raymond. The memoir was printed by one of the great book designers of the following generation, Francis Meynell.
This edition reproduces that original design, including the spectacular cover based by Ricketts on his designs for Salomé. An after word by Matthew Sturgis puts the work in the context of the 1880’s and 1890’s, of Wilde’s astonishing success and terrible downfall.
First published 1932 by the Nonesuch Press
This edition published 2011, reprinted in 2025, by Pallas Athene Arts
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Editor: Alexander Fyjis-Walker
© Pallas Athene 2011, 2025
ISBN 978 1 84368 267 7
Printed in England
This is a close copy of the original Nonesuch edition of 1932 The cover was by Charles Ricketts, and based on his designs for Wilde’s Salomé. The typography was by Francis Meynell, founder of the Nonesuch Press, and is his only work using a Linotype machine. The original edition was limited to 800 copies, which were sold out within six months, making it one of Nonesuch’s most successful titles
With thanks to Tilly for working on the cover