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Oscar Wilde’s Library at UCL

By Sarah S Pipkin, on 13 June 2024

On April 24th, 1895, the contents of Oscar Wilde’s house at No 16 Tite Street were auctioned off to pay his debt to the Marquess of Queensberry. Included in the sale was Wilde’s library of over 2000 books, alongside drafts, letters, paintings, furniture and his children’s toys. Wilde did not use a personalized bookplate or write his name in all his books, and the auction only provided an incomplete record of his library collection.  

Of Wilde’s library, only about 40 books have been identified. This list is slowly increasing – including the addition of at least two books that are in UCL’s collection. These books were previously unknown to researchers, and while they’ve long been listed in the catalogue as being connected to Wilde, their provenance was not fully researched.  

The Golden Lotus 

Within Wilde’s collection were several presentation copies – or copies of books given as a gift from the author alongside a personalized inscription from the author to the recipient. One such book at UCL is The Golden Lotus by Edward Greey.  

The Golden Lotus open to an inscription by Greey to Oscar Wilde. The Inscription is written in both Japanese and Romanized characters

Title page of The Golden Lotus, shelfmark FLS C73 GRE

Edward Greey published several works on Japanese history and mythology. The Golden Lotus includes his retelling of several Japanese folklore stories. Today, it is part of the Folklore Society collection, currently on deposit to UCL.  

The title page includes a large inscription from the author to Oscar Wilde. A new year’s greeting is written in Japanese characters, romanised Japanese, and English. Oscar Wilde was known to be interested in Japanese art and literature, so it is not surprising to find a collection of Japanese folklore on his shelves. This volume is also listed in the Tite Street auction catalogue, making it very likely that this book sat on Wilde’s shelves until 1895.  

Auction catalogue entry reading "Art Industries in Japan, The Golden Lotus, Alison 3-vol. Novel &c. 2 parcels

Courtesy of the Master and Fellows of University College Oxford: Ross d.216 p.9 cropped.

At the top of the inscription is a note by a second hand: “Bought 27/4/95 from F. Edwards, 83 High St, Marylebone (From sale of Oscar Wilde’s library under Sheriff’s order 23/4/95 by Brooks at Duke St))”.  

Salome 

Also in our collection is the English edition of Salome. This edition includes a printed dedication to Lord Alfred Douglass, Wilde’s lover and son of the Marquis of Queensberry.  

Salome holding the head of Iokanaan

Illustration by Aubrey Beardsley from Salome, shelfmark ENGLISH RARE Q 120

While our copy contains no ownership notes from Wilde, it includes the same note added to The Golden Lotus. It also includes a donation ex-libris plate noting that the donor was F.M.C. Johnson, a librarian for both UCL and the Folklore Society. Because The Golden Lotus has a clear history connecting it back to Wilde’s library, it is likely that our copy of Salome also came from Wilde’s library. The Title Street auction lists at least two copies of Salome, though there is not enough information to absolutely confirm that the copies listed in the auction catalogue include UCL’s copy.  

Inscription reading Bought 27/4/95 from F. Edwards, 83 High St, Marylebone (From sale of Oscar Wilde’s library under Sheriff’s order 23/4/95 by Brooks at Duke St))

Inscription from Salome, shelfmark ENGLISH RARE Q 120

Sex. Aurelli Propertii carmin 

UCL is also home to a third book owned by Wilde. Sex. Aurelii Propertii carmina : The elegies of Propertius with English notes include an inscription from Wilde dated March 1874. This book dates to Wilde’s time as an undergraduate studying classics at Trinity College Dublin. While there is no evidence connecting it back to the Tite Street sale, this was at least part of Wilde’s student book collection. 

Title page with an inscription reading "Oscar F Wilde March 1874"

Wilde’s inscription in Sex. Aurelii Propertii carmina. Shelfmark STRONG ROOM OGDEN 108

It is heavily annotated throughout, with almost every single page having some degree of notes and underlining. Most of the notes are clearly in Wilde’s own hand, though there are several notes by a different person  

Back boards showing annotations by Wilde and an unknown former owner

Annotations by Wilde and an unknown former owner. Shelfmark STRONG ROOM OGDEN 108

We are pleased that we can add to the growing list of known books from Wilde’s library. Rebuilding Wilde’s library allows us to better understand the works that influenced his own writing and his relationships with other authors. It is also a reminder of how easily history can be lost. Over a couple of days, Wilde’s entire life was dismantled, sold and spread across the world. Who knows how many of Wilde’s other books sit in libraries and private collections across the world, unrecognized because Wilde never wrote his name in them?  

While we keep an eye out for further traces of Wilde’s library in our collection, there are several other libraries that have identified Wilde’s books in their collection: 

One of five surviving copies of the Tite Street Auction Catalogue is held by University College Oxford 

Our collections are open to the public, and you are welcome to make an appointment in our reading room to see Wilde’s books and other items in our collections.  

Thanks to Elizabeth Adams, Mark Samuels Lasner, Thomas Wright and Iain Ross for their help and insights in investigating the provenance of these items!  

3 Responses to “Oscar Wilde’s Library at UCL”

  • 1
    Alan Hewer wrote on 30 September 2024:

    I have a book in my collection which would appear to have belonged to Wilde.
    ‘L’Allegro, Il.Pensoroso and The Hymn on the Nativity by John Milton’. Published by Cassell, 1885.

    It’s inscribed:-
    ‘Oscar W. Wilde.
    With best wishes from W.G.West’ Christmas 1885 (the signature is hard to distinguish so may be inaccurate).

    I can send you some pictures if that would be helpful.

  • 2
    Sarah S Pipkin wrote on 21 October 2024:

    Dear Alan,

    Thank you for getting in touch – what an interesting find! We’re not able to verify signatures ourselves, but if you contact the Special Collections team we can refer you to one of the researchers who helped us verify our items.

    Contact information for our team is available at: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/library/collections/special-collections/contact-us.

  • 3
    Oscar Wilde's lost books discovered in "miracle" moment for LGBTQ+ history • GCN wrote on 13 November 2024:

    […] the rest yet to be found. However, thanks to Sarah Pipkin, Outreach and Exhibitions Co-Ordinator at UCL Special Collections, three more titles can be added to the list. The librarian noticed a handwritten note on all of the […]

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