Oscar Wilde first hanging at Reading in 18 years. From Wooldridge's hanging, Wilde later wrote "The Ballad of Reading Gaol". Wilde was not, at first, even allowed paper and pen but Haldane eventually succeeded in allowing access to books and writing materials. Wilde requested, among others: the Bible in French; Italian and German grammars; some Ancient Greek texts, Dante's "Divine Comedy", Joris-Karl Huysmans's new French novel about Christian redemption "En Route", and essays by St Augustine, Cardinal Newman and Walter Pater. Between January and March 1897 Wilde wrote a 50,000-word letter to Douglas. He was not allowed to send it, but was
The Manuscripts of Oscar Wilde other stories — e.g., several lines from "Dorian Gray" appear again in L.W.F. Modifications to the work through stage rehearsal are sometimes incorporated on scraps of paper. The secrecy surrounding the plots of "An Ideal Husband" and "The Importance of Being Earnest" is clearly shown in the strict instructions to the typist, being forbidden to show or excerpt lines. Typescripts were delivered by hand under plain cover to 'Oscar Wilde 10/11 St. James's Place'. They were never posted. The Manuscripts of Oscar Wilde The original manuscripts of Oscar Wilde today reside in many collections, including the British Library. The largest