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 The Manuscripts of Oscar Wilde The original manuscripts of Oscar Wilde today reside in many collections, including the British Library. The largest and most comprehensive is to be found at the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, UCLA. This collection includes typescripts and copies of many letters and associated documents from Wilde's circle. Scholarly accounts of the manuscripts and Wilde's methods of working can be found among the many graduate and post graduate works. The library's collection of materials features early purchases from Wilde's son Vyvyan Holland, the bibliographer Christopher Millard, and literary executor Robert Ross. This group of autograph letters