Last night I completed my reading of a most unusual biography. Built of Books: How Reading Defined the Life of Oscar Wilde, by Thomas Wright. I say unusual because this book is about the books that Oscar Wilde collected, read, and cherished. Wright was able to build his own biographical narrative of Wilde by noting the books that Wilde purchased, the books he read, and the books that defined his own life and expression.
My own knowledge of Wilde, prior to reading this biography, was limited to his plays--most notably, The Importance of Being Earnest. But I enjoyed reading about Wilde's books.
Of course, to many people, this biography would be a real snoozer. My wife kept asking me, "What's that book about?" "About Wilde's books," I told her. "Where they were arranged on the shelves, the colors of their bindings, and such."
"You're reading that?!"
Yes. I did. And the book itself was fascinating . . . as was Wilde himself. Wilde stuff.
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