Art and Decoration

The essence of Oscar Wilde’s aesthetic credo: a gorgeous, pocket-sized, clothbound facsimile of a key 1920 collection

Oscar Wilde was one of the most influential writers on art and design in the late 19th century. Alongside his acclaimed plays, novel and short stories, he wrote and lectured extensively on the subject. This exquisite centenary facsimile edition of a posthumous collection that was first published in 1920 brings together some of his most significant writings on art, craft, design, fashion and decoration. Among them are musings on the nature of beauty and utility; what makes an artist and what does an artist make; the importance of handicrafts over machine art; radical ideas on the state of fashion; how to decorate one’s home; the “American invasion” of English society; the various qualities of models of different nationalities; and the rise of historical criticism. Selections of his celebrated epigrams—or “phrases and philosophies for the use of the young,” as he put it—supply a testament to the brilliant, incisive wit and flamboyant style for which Wilde is known. With a specially designed silkscreened clothbound cover and gilt edging, this beautiful volume will delight, enchant and amuse.

Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) is regarded as one of the greatest writers and dramatists of the Victorian era, acclaimed for his brilliant wit and flamboyant style. In his lifetime, he wrote nine plays, one novel and numerous poems, short stories and essays. He was a leading figure in the Aesthetic Movement of the 1880s and 1890s that advocated art for art’s sake.