This image is the cover for the book Lord Arthur Savile's Crime and Other Stories

Lord Arthur Savile's Crime and Other Stories

Biting wit and lush descriptions combine in this striking new edition of Oscar Wilde’s short story collection, which contains Wilde’s most famous story, “The Canterville Ghost.” Originally published in 1887 in the British literary magazine, The Court and Society Review. “Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime: A Study of Duty” headlines this anthology, first published in 1891. In addition to the title work, Wilde added “The Canterville Ghost,” “The Model Millionaire,” and “The Sphinx Without a Secret.” Editions dated after 1900 (including this one) also contain “The Portrait of Mr. W. H.” In the 132 years since the publication of this collection, numerous actors, writers, and even musicians wrote adaptations of “The Canterville Ghost,” the most popular of the stories in this volume. But those adaptations also made significant changes in the plot. Now with a foreword by Hugo-award nominee Paul Di Filippo, go back to the original. Read “The Canterville Ghost,” and the other stories as Oscar Wilde wrote them.

Oscar Wilde, Paul Di Filippo

Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) was an Irish playwright, novelist, essayist, and poet. Celebrated on both sides of the Atlantic for his wit, he is rumored to have informed a customs agent upon his arrival in America, “I have nothing to declare but my genius.” Wilde’s health and reputation were destroyed by his imprisonment for “gross indecency” in 1895, and he died in poverty a few years after his release. Today, his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and his play, The Importance of Being Earnest, are recognized as masterpieces of English literature.  

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