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Built of Books: How Reading Defined the Life of Oscar Wilde
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Built of Books: How Reading Defined the Life of Oscar Wilde Paperback - 2010 - 1st Edition

by Thomas Wright

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Reader reviews for Built of Books: How Reading Defined the Life of Oscar Wilde

From the publisher

An entirely new kind of biography, Built of Books explores the mind and personality of Oscar Wilde through his taste in books

This intimate account of Oscar Wilde's life and writings is richer, livelier, and more personal than any book available about the brilliant writer, revealing a man who built himself out of books. His library was his reality, the source of so much that was vital to his life. A reader first, his readerly encounters, out of all of life's pursuits, are seen to be as significant as his most important relationships with friends, family, or lovers. Wilde's library, which Thomas Wright spent twenty years reading, provides the intellectual (and emotional) climate at the core of this deeply engaging portrait.

One of the book's happiest surprises is the story of the author's adventure reading Wilde's library. Reminiscent of Jorge Luis Borges's fictional hero who enters Cervantes's mind by saturating himself in the culture of sixteenth-century Spain, Wright employs Wilde as his own Virgilian guide to world literature. We come to understand how reading can be an extremely sensual experience, producing a physical as well as a spiritual delight.

Details

  • Title Built of Books: How Reading Defined the Life of Oscar Wilde
  • Author Thomas Wright
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition number 1st
  • Edition 1
  • Pages 384
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher St. Martin's Griffin, New York, New York, U.S.A.
  • Publication date 2010-04-27
  • Illustrated Yes
  • Features Bibliography, Illustrated, Index, Table of Contents
  • ISBN 9780805092462 / 0805092463
  • Weight 0.7 lbs (0.32 kg)
  • Dimensions 7.98 x 5.56 x 0.99 in (20.27 x 14.12 x 2.51 cm)
  • Themes
    • Chronological Period: 1851-1899
    • Cultural Region: British
    • Cultural Region: Ireland
  • Category Biography / Autobiography
  • Library of Congress subjects Authors, Irish - 19th century, Wilde, Oscar - Books and reading
  • Library of Congress Catalogue Number 2008037762
  • Dewey Decimal Code B

Media reviews

Citations

  • New York Review of Books, 11/11/2010, Page 61
  • New York Times Book Review, 05/23/2010, Page 24

About the author

Thomas Wright was educated at Saint Thomas More School in Bedford, England. He lectures frequently on Wilde and has written countless articles about him. The author of Oscar Wilde's Table Talk, Wright lives in Genoa and London, and sometimes writes about subjects unconnected with his hero.

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Built of Books : How Reading Defined the Life of Oscar Wilde
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Built of Books : How Reading Defined the Life of Oscar Wilde

by Wright, Thomas

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9780805092462 / 0805092463
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Built of Books: How Reading Defined the Life of Oscar Wilde

Built of Books: How Reading Defined the Life of Oscar Wilde

by Wright, Thomas

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Built of Books: How Reading Defined the Life of Oscar Wilde
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Built of Books: How Reading Defined the Life of Oscar Wilde

by Wright, Thomas

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Built of Books: How Reading Defined the Life of Oscar Wilde
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Built of Books: How Reading Defined the Life of Oscar Wilde

by Wright, Thomas

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Built Of Books
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Built Of Books
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Built Of Books

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Built of Books: How Reading Defined the Life of Oscar Wilde
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by Wright, Thomas

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Built of Books: How Reading Defined the Life of Oscar Wilde

Built of Books: How Reading Defined the Life of Oscar Wilde

by Thomas Wright

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Built of Books: How Reading Defined the Life of Oscar Wilde

Built of Books: How Reading Defined the Life of Oscar Wilde

by Thomas Wright

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  • Paperback
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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780805092462 / 0805092463
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Built of Books: How Reading Defined the Life of Oscar Wilde
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Built of Books: How Reading Defined the Life of Oscar Wilde

by Wright, Thomas

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  • Paperback
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Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780805092462 / 0805092463
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