The Ballad of Reading Gaol

1898

Special Collections PR5818 B2 1898

London: Leonard Smithers

Oscar Wilde was accused of sodomy in 1895 and charged with gross indecency under the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1885. After a drawn-out trial process, Wilde was found guilty and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment. Once released, he was exiled to France where he wrote The Ballad of Reading Gaol. Wilde published the poem anonymously, signing the work C.3.3. (cell block C, landing 3, cell 3). The poem sold well and quickly, going through seven editions in just over one year.  This copy is a fifth edition.