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
Biographies of Oscar Wilde effect, wrote, "In Memoriam, Oscar Wilde"; Wilde also features in his journals. Thomas Louis, who had earlier translated books on Wilde into French, produced his own "L'esprit d'Oscar Wilde" in 1920. In 1962, Wilde's letters were first published, edited by Rupert Hart-Davis. Merlin Holland revised it and included new discoveries in "The Complete Letters of Oscar Wilde" (Merlin Holland & Rupert Hart-Davis. (2000). Henry Holt and Company LLC, New York. ). In 1997 Merlin Holland published "The Wilde Album". This small volume of pictures, images, and other Wilde memorabilia, drew on previously unpublished archives. It includes all 27 portraits taken