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“HISVOLUME [THE BOOK FANCIER]
IS A CLUMSY BIT OF JOURNEY MAN’SWORK”
296
●
WILDE, OSCAR. Autograph Manuscript, unsigned, fragmentary notes on 4
leaves, mostly for a book review, in pencil and ink, with a small graphite drawing. The
notes, roughly four pages concerning Percy H. Fitzgerald’s book,
The Book Fancier
, 1886,
consisting of page numbers with jotted observations and brief passages critical of the
writer’s style, proofreading, or printing; and one page concerning an unknown work on
Catholicism. Some lines written in margins, diagonally, vertically, or inverted.The drawing,
a thumb-size sketch showing a man’s head wearing beard and mustache in profile, in lower
left margin of third leaf. 5
1
/
2
pages, small folio, ruled paper, 2 leaves written on recto and
verso; corners of 2 leaves torn away affecting one line of text, minor scattered smudging to
text (legible except for few lines on horizontal folds), moderate soiling to fourth leaf.
Bound into custom binding, small folio, full morocco, gilt-lettered title on cover and spine;
blank leaves inserted before and after, 1905 bookplate of Richard Le Gallienne on front
paste-down.
Np, circa 1886
[5,000/7,500]
“
. . . He talks of Grolier as a bookbinder; he is eloquent over a Shakespearian quarto of ‘The
Taming of the Shrew’ though there is no such book in existence; he tells that the fat edition of
Paradise Lost is readily procurable in small folio, a statement wh. would amaze Mr. Quaritch; and
informs us that Valdarfar edition of Boccaccio, a book published in 1471, was very scarce in the
beginning of the 15h cent., a time when printing was not yet invented! As to his misprints these are
innumerable. Correcting proofs may be an author’s purgatory, but it is not the less his duty, and like
purgatory it has its uses.The smallest care would have saved Mr. Fitzgerald . . . . Nor is the manner
better than the matter. . . .
“
. . . Mr. Fitzgerald’s style is involved, clumsy, and ungrammatical. . . .
“
. . . Bibliography is a charming science, but it requires [to be] charmingly treated, and we fear that
Mr. P.F. promises none of the qualifications necessary for writing a book about books: His volume the
‘B—’ is a clumsy bit of journey man’s work, without grace or charm or delicacy of treatment. Even on
ordinary matters of fact it is not reliable . . . .
“
over in Oxford in ‘69 / previously in Devon / rhetoric of Ruskin . . . / vanity of excellence / . . .
Catholicism: paraklete / material world / resurrct[ion] of the body . . . / sacraments spake the mater-
ial world / ‘it is so beautiful it must be true’ . . . / Catholicism. historically true. Sh’d have been born
one. an ideal so inclusive of aspirations of genius.”