The Importance of Being Earnest

[Cecil Beaton. Oscar Wilde]

An attractively produced edition of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest. The play's text is supplemented by six colour plates and numerous text illustrations by Cecil Beaton. The Edwardian setting of Wilde's play was perfectly suited to Beaton's brush and his illustrations are typically rich in period detail and sartorial elegance. The project was completed in the period between Beaton's involvement with the play and then the film production of My Fair Lady and a similar aesthetic is prevalent in the costumes and settings. The endpapers carry a Beatonesque rose motif.



Oscar Wilde. Illustrated by Cecil Beaton. The Folio Society. London. 1960. First edition. Hardback, small quarto; green moire silk-covered boards, gilt title to spine, top edge pink, pink card slipcase. 78 pages. 6 colour plates, numerous text illustrations and decorative endpapers by Beaton. English. 255 x 195mm. 0.55kg. . Near fine; slight fading to spine; slight shelf wear to slipcase.