The Picture of Dorian Gray

The Picture of Dorian Gray is Oscar Wilde’s only novel. A young man of extraordinary beauty sits for a portrait; hearing a witty aristocrat praise youth above all things, he wishes the picture would age in his place. The wish comes true: Dorian lives as he pleases, and only the canvas records what he does.

This edition, in English, follows the text of the 1891 book (preface and twenty chapters) and adds 70 footnotes on London, books, jewels, fabrics, composers and the myths of the novel, an editor’s introduction, a chronology and a note on the text. Every note rests on a verifiable source.