WILDE, OSCAR. AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED TO PUBLISHER ALFRED NUTT, C.1888

Autograph letter signed ("Oscar Wilde") about Flaubert and "The Happy Prince", 3 pages, bifolium (6 5/8 x 4 7/8 in.; 167 x 126 mm), London (his Tite St. letterhead), c. 1888, to publisher Alfred Nutt; horizontal fold, minimal soiling.

Condition as described in catalogue entry.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

"…that amazing book of Flaubert." In this letter to publisher, folklorist and Celticist Alfred Nutt (1856–1910), Wilde says he can not have anything ready for publication by Christmas and goes on to remark the The Happy Prince and Other Tales is going to be reviewed by The Saturday Review (then edited and published by his friend Frank Harris) Wilde ends his letter to Nutt by floating an idea for a translation: "Do you think (this is private) that a translation of that amazing book of Flaubert, 'La Tentation de St. Antoine' would be a success. I want to do it." The translation never appeared. Richard Ellman, in his biography of Wilde (p. 376), does, however, record an undated letter from Wilde to Max Beerbohm in which he writes, "Of course, I plagiarise. It is the privilege of the appreciative man. I never read Flaubert's Tentation de St. Antoine without signing my name at the end of it. Que voulez-vous?"

Not in Complete Letters. Presumably unpublished.