My notes contain references to most of the volumes I consulted during the preparation of this book. Here I list only the works that have been indispensable to me, and those which I recommend to anyone wishing to pursue their interest in Wilde.
The following biographical works have been of invaluable assistance: M. Holland and R. Hart-Davis (eds.), The Complete Letters of Oscar Wilde (London, 2000); E.H. Mikhail (ed.), Oscar Wilde: Interviews and Recollections, 2 vols (London, 1979) and R. Ellmann, Oscar Wilde (London, 1987); H. Pearson, The Life of Oscar Wilde (revised edition, London, 1954) is also well worth reading, particularly for its matchless reconstruction of the social world in which Wilde moved. The following biographies of Wilde, which were written by his friends, are extremely evocative: R. Sherard’s The Real Oscar Wilde (London, 1917?), The Life of Oscar Wilde (New York, 1906) and Oscar Wilde: The Story of an Unhappy Friendship (London, 1902); F. Harris, Oscar Wilde, His Life and Confessions (New York, 1930). Some of Wilde’s friends also left vivid memoirs and recollections: V. O’Sullivan, Aspects of Wilde (London: Constable, 1936); [John Paul Raynaud] and Charles Ricketts, Oscar Wilde: Recollections (London, 1932); Laurence Housman, Echo de Paris (London, 1923) and Ada Leverson, Letters to the Sphinx (London, 1930).
The following modern biographical works focus on specific aspects of Wilde’s life: Davis Coakley, Oscar Wilde: The Importance of Being Irish (Dublin, 1994) discusses Wilde’s Irishness and his upbringing in Ireland; Neil McKenna, The Secret Life of Oscar Wilde (London, 2003) deals with Wilde’s homosexuality, and Thomas Wright (ed.), Table Talk: Oscar Wilde (London, 2000) offers a portrait of Wilde the storyteller and anthologises his finest spoken stories. M. Holland (ed.), Irish Peacock and Scarlet Marquis: The Real Trial of Oscar Wilde (London, 2003) contains the transcript of the Queensberry trial, and is expertly annotated and introduced. H. Montgomery Hyde, The Trials of Oscar Wilde (Edinburgh, 1948) includes valuable accounts of Wilde’s two trials. Anthony Stokes, Pit of Shame (Winchester, 2007) contains fascinating information on Wilde’s time at Reading Gaol.
The best affordable edition of Wilde’s writings is The Collins Complete Works of Oscar Wilde, Fifth Edition (London, 2003). I. Murray (ed.), Oscar Wilde: The Oxford Authors (Oxford, 1989) offers a judicious selection of Wilde’s finest works and is brilliantly annotated by the editor. Anyone still hungry for more Wilde should try to acquire second-hand copies of the following lesser-known writings at www.abebooks.co.uk: Reviews by Oscar Wilde (London, 1908) a collection of Wilde’s book reviews and Miscellanies by Oscar Wilde, an anthology of Wilde’s other journalistic writings and some of his lectures; R. Ellmann (ed.), The Artist as Critic (Chicago, 1968) is an inexpensive collection of Wilde’s journalism and criticism.
Those whose interest in Wilde is of a more scholarly nature, and who can afford the £60 or so asked for each tome, may wish to purchase the volumes of The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde which the Oxford University Press is currently in the process of publishing. B. Fong and K. Beckson (eds.), Poems and Poems in Prose: The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde, Volume I (Oxford, 2000) is especially valuable as it contains a wealth of hitherto unpublished material. The forthcoming volume of Wilde’s journalism, edited by Professor John Stokes, also promises to include a number of articles and book reviews that have never previously been attributed to Wilde.
Anyone who would like to explore the wealth of secondary critical literature concerning Wilde should turn to the excellent bibliographies: I. Small, Oscar Wilde Revalued (Greensboro, 1993) and I. Small, Oscar Wilde: Recent Research (Greensboro, 2000). K. Beckson (ed.), Oscar Wilde: The Critical Heritage (London, 1970) provides a fascinating selection of the late Victorian critical reception of Wilde’s works and K. Beckson, The Oscar Wilde Encyclopaedia (New York, 1998) is a useful reference book. The best bibliography of Wilde’s own writings is Stuart Mason, Bibliography of Oscar Wilde (London, 1914), an elegant and eccentric mine of Wildean information.
Those who wish to keep up with all the Wildean gossip, of a scholarly and also of a more general nature, should subscribe to the following publications: The Wildean, a biannual journal of the Oscar Wilde Society, which is expertly edited by the Society’s chairman, Donald Mead. The journal comes free with membership to the OWS (www.oscarwildesociety.com); The Oscholars, a monthly internet bulletin crammed full of fascinating information on all matters Wildean, which also offers a whole library of scholarly essays. It is superbly edited by the indefatigable David Rose, and is available, free of charge, at www.oscholars.com.