Poems — Oscar Wilde, Modern Library No. 19 1917

📖 Poems by Oscar Wilde (Boni and Liveright / The Modern Library, 1917) — The collected verse of Oscar Wilde in the iconic Modern Library No. 19, reprinted from H. S. Nichols’ Cosmopolitan Library Edition. This copy is a Boni and Liveright flexible binding (Toledano 19.1) with the gold “BL” monogram and gilt spine lettering.

QUICK FACTS

• Author: Oscar Fingal O’Fflahertie Wills Wilde (1854–1900), Irish poet and playwright
• Publisher: Boni and Liveright, Inc. / The Modern Library, New York
• Year: 1917 (first Modern Library edition; Modern Library No. 19)
• Format: Hardcover in flexible black leatherette cloth, 16mo (4.5 × 6.5 in.)
• Pages: ix + 275 | ISBN: None (pre-ISBN era)
• Condition: Very Good- — full report below

THE STORY

Oscar Wilde was a central figure of the late Victorian Aesthetic movement, championing “art for art’s sake” across poetry, fiction, drama, and criticism. His best-known works include The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891), Salomé (1891), and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895). This collection gathers his poetic output from the early 1880s through the 1890s, including his major long poem “Ravenna” and the richly allusive “The Garden of Eros.”

THIS EDITION

Modern Library No. 19 was first issued in 1917 under the Boni and Liveright imprint, before Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer acquired the series in 1925. The text is reprinted from H. S. Nichols’ Cosmopolitan Library Edition of Wilde’s works, as acknowledged on the copyright page. This copy features the Toledano 19.1 binding style — black flexible cloth with the gold “BL” monogram — produced circa 1923–1925 during the later Boni and Liveright period. The volume includes a portrait frontispiece sketch of Wilde and a complete table of contents spanning 30 poems.

COVER ART & DESIGN

The binding is characteristic of the early Modern Library format: a compact 16mo volume in black flexible leatherette with a gold-stamped publisher’s emblem on the front cover. The spine carries “POEMS” and “OSCAR WILDE” in gilt lettering, separated by a horizontal rule consistent with Toledano binding style 19.1. The frontispiece is an expressive line-drawing portrait of Wilde in profile, gazing upward.

WHY IT MATTERS

• Modern Library No. 19 — among the earliest titles in the series that became the most important American reprint publisher of the 20th century
• Boni and Liveright imprint — the original publisher of the Modern Library before the 1925 Cerf/Klopfer acquisition that launched Random House
• Complete collection of Wilde’s verse including “Ravenna,” “The Garden of Eros,” “Requiescat,” and “Serenade”
• Previous owner bookplate of Ben. D. Senturia, M.D. — adding provenance to the volume’s history

FREQUENTLY ASKED

What edition is this? First Modern Library edition (1917), Toledano 19.1 binding style (circa 1923–1925 printing under the Boni and Liveright imprint).

What condition is it in? Very Good- — minor rubbing to edges and corners, gilt lettering clear and readable, lightly age-toned pages, vintage bookplate on front pastedown. Full report below.

Is there a dust jacket? No dust jacket is present.

FOR COLLECTORS

This is a Boni and Liveright Modern Library copy — predating the Cerf/Klopfer era that defined the series. The “BL” monogram on the front cover identifies it as a Boni and Liveright production, making it a crossover collectible for both Modern Library enthusiasts and Wilde bibliophiles. The H. S. Nichols Cosmopolitan Library source text connects this edition to the broader publishing history of Wilde’s works in the early 20th century.

Condition Report

Overall Grade: Very Good- (VG-)

Cover & Spine: Minor rubbing to the edges and corners of the black flexible covers. Spine ends show light wear. Gilt lettering on the spine and front board remains clear and readable.

Dust Jacket: Not present.

Text Block & Pages: Lightly age-toned throughout, consistent with paper of this period. Vintage bookplate affixed to the front pastedown.

Binding: Square, flexible, and complete. Hinges are intact and firm. No loose, torn, or folded pages.

See accompanying images for full condition details. Will ship promptly, carefully packaged.

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