Signet Classics 1995 (subdivision of Penguin)
Price: $4.95
History: This was from the airport either on the way to America or back. I was just browsing when the helpful till guy asked if he could help. I said I was looking for this. He positively swept off the desk, straight to the section and pulled this book and two of the plays off the shelf, all in one movement. I'm still pretty amazed by it - he must get people asking for Oscar Wilde a lot or something...
Look: This is another soft, floppy copy...it's nice to hold, but not to read because I worry about damaging the spine. Now here's the crux. I generally don't like covers with Dorian on, and this guy isn't even blonde. But I forgive them because this one's just so pretty...despite looking like Tom Cruise when I squint.
Introduction/Appendices: Apart from the loony assertion that the use of the word "wild" over 25 times in the novel (somebody counted?! Not even I'm that obsessive...) is some sort of unconscious egotism from the author, I like Gary Schmidgall's introduction. There's one or two interesting points in there, and I particularly like the analysis of themes. This copy also contains Lord Arthur Saville's Crime, the Happy Prince and the Birthday of the Infanta. Hmm, I disapprove,but it wins back brownie points for discribing the latter two as "delicate". Spot on, dude...
Mind goes fuzzy again here, until...
History: This was from the airport either on the way to America or back. I was just browsing when the helpful till guy asked if he could help. I said I was looking for this. He positively swept off the desk, straight to the section and pulled this book and two of the plays off the shelf, all in one movement. I'm still pretty amazed by it - he must get people asking for Oscar Wilde a lot or something...
Look: This is another soft, floppy copy...it's nice to hold, but not to read because I worry about damaging the spine. Now here's the crux. I generally don't like covers with Dorian on, and this guy isn't even blonde. But I forgive them because this one's just so pretty...despite looking like Tom Cruise when I squint.Introduction/Appendices: Apart from the loony assertion that the use of the word "wild" over 25 times in the novel (somebody counted?! Not even I'm that obsessive...) is some sort of unconscious egotism from the author, I like Gary Schmidgall's introduction. There's one or two interesting points in there, and I particularly like the analysis of themes. This copy also contains Lord Arthur Saville's Crime, the Happy Prince and the Birthday of the Infanta. Hmm, I disapprove,but it wins back brownie points for discribing the latter two as "delicate". Spot on, dude...
Mind goes fuzzy again here, until...
No comments:
Post a Comment