English

The Sphinx by Oscar Wilde with illustrations by Charles Ricketts

Published in 1894, with elaborate art nouveau illustrations by Charles Ricketts and a dedication to the French symbolist poet Marcel Schwob, the poem itself with its exquisite binding of white vellum stamped with gold leaf was to be more than just an exceptional and attention-riveting book: it was meant to be a kind of self-sufficient manifesto against Victorian didacticism and utilitarian instruction. The additional fact that "The Sphinx" was published in a very limited edition corroborates Wilde's intention that the booklet should be seen as a literary gem for the sensual delight of the splendid few and not for vulgar eyes.

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