Ravenna. Recited in the Theatre, Oxford, June 26, 1878.
Oxford: Thos. Shrimpton and Son, 1878. First edition, first printing. Early twentieth-century three-quarter crushed green morocco over green cloth with gilt rules, spine titled, ruled, and decorated in gilt, aeg, marbled endpapers, bulked with 51 binder's blanks. Bound with original pale blue printed wraps. Octavo. 16pp. 7" x 5" A very fine copy. Item #233047
"O lone Ravenna! many a tale is told / Of thy great glories in the days of old..." So Wilde reflects upon the great Italian city. This lyrical exploration of Ravenna introduced the world to Wilde. This work won him the prestigious Oxford Newdigate Prize, awarded annually to the best student poem. Wilde recited the poem in public on June 26th, 1878, launching his notoriety beyond the walls of academia.
Wilde was inspired by his travels through the faded glory of the streets of Ravenna the year before. According to Ellmann it is in these streets that "the young man...muses elegiacally upon its fallen greatness"––a musing that would be a continued theme throughout his literary career.
Beautifully rebound in vibrant green morocco, with the original wraps preserved and bound within.
[Mason, 301; Ellmann, 91].
Price: $2,500.00