[WILDE, Oscar (1854-1900)] - photo 1
[WILDE, Oscar (1854-1900)] - photo 2

[WILDE, Oscar (1854-1900)]

Lot 159
13.02.2025 00:00UTC +00:00
Classic
To bid, go to the website
CHRISTIE'S
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Buyer Premiumsee on Website%
ID 1362841
Lot 159 | [WILDE, Oscar (1854-1900)]
Estimate value
£ 1 000 – 1 500
[WILDE, Oscar (1854-1900)]
Children In Prison and Other Cruelties of Prison Life. London: Murdoch & Co., 26 Paternoster Square, [1898]
Extremely rare first edition in book form of Wilde’s celebrated letter to the Daily Chronicle concerning the cruelty of placing children in prison. The letter, written in prison and shortly after his release, is a manifesto against carceral stupidity, excoriating the prison system, particularly the Prison Board, particularly for its cruelty towards children: 'People nowadays do not understand what cruelty is. They regard it as a sort of terrible medieval passion, and connect it with the race of men like Eccelin da Romano, and others, to whom the deliberate infliction of pain gave a real madness of pleasure. But men of the stamp of Eccelin are merely abnormal types of perverted individualism. Ordinary cruelty is simply stupidity. It comes from the entire want of imagination. It is the result in our days of stereotyped systems, of hard-and-fast rules, of centralisation, of officialism, and of irresponsible authority [...] It is the Prison Board, with the system that it carries out, that is the primary source of the cruelty that is exercised on a child in prison'. Rare in such good condition. Mason [26].

Small octavo (172 x 116mm). (A few very light spots to title and last page.) Stapled in publisher's printed wrappers (light age toning); preserved in green cloth solander case with ties, itself in black morocco folding case by Peartree. Provenance: Barry Humphries (1934-2023).
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
13.02.2025 – 13.02.2025
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Buyer Premium see on Website
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

More from Creator

The Happy Prince, signed with an autograph letter
The Happy Prince, signed with an autograph letter
$100
[WILDE, Oscar (1854-1900)]
[WILDE, Oscar (1854-1900)]
£3 000
WILDE, Oscar (1864-1900)
WILDE, Oscar (1864-1900)
£12 000
WILDE, Oscar (1854-1900)
WILDE, Oscar (1854-1900)
£20 000
WILDE, Oscar (1854-1900)
WILDE, Oscar (1854-1900)
£25 000
[WILDE, Oscar (1854-1900)]
[WILDE, Oscar (1854-1900)]
£6 000
WILDE, Oscar (1864-1900)
WILDE, Oscar (1864-1900)
£40 000
WILDE, Oscar (1854-1900)
WILDE, Oscar (1854-1900)
£25 000

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.