The Picture of Dorian Gray (Chiltern Classic)

Story aside, this is a review of the Masterpiece Library Edition hardcover. Book is built solid. Very tight binding that feels like it will hold up to read after read. The book looks incredible on a shelf and in hand. Gilding is NOT incredibly thin and was not damaged after one reading like some cheaply gilded books. The description of the book on Amazon's page is fair and accurate. Sturdy, Durable, Quality. All accurate descriptors. Font and size all feel good to me and the line about being able to read even in poor light seems accurate to me. I read this mostly on my exercise bike in my dark ass basement and sitting at a bar with pretty dark lighting. I'm still a young man though. For the story I will say that I was incredibly intrigued for the first few chapters, bored for a good chunk, and then enthralled for the ending. I was a little bummed to learn this is the "censored" version, but I did a little digging and it seems the original version was published in a magazine and the novel length version has always been "censored" and was lengthened for publication as a novel. The story seemed stretched out to me, and I think the original version would have read better as a bit shorter of a work. I don't know the exact page count difference, but if this was 30-50 pages shorter I wouldn't have minded a bit I don't think.

the gold stamped spine seems a touch extravagant to me, but I guess it's somewhat fitting for this book. Otherwise, excellent quality I like everything else about it very much. Really good binding, too, it can kinda just sit open on the desk.

The book looks very nice. It seems to be well made. But my issue is the paper is unnecessarily thick and heavy making the book a little heavy for such a short read.

As Described. Will but again. Thank you!

The gilded pages are beautiful and the print is a great size. The cover is absolutely mesmerizing!

This was a gift for a teenager. I really liked the design of the cover and the gilded page edges. I was disappointed because I had viewed the book online, and it had notes regarding the story at the beginning and vocabulary words in the back. It did state that I was looking at the paperback view of the book. However, the hard cover did not have notes or vocabulary. I was expecting the content to be the same as the paperback, but it was not.

The masterpiece line is my go to selection in this price point. I really enjoy the ribbon page marker and gilding on the page edges. Hard to find a better value currently.

When you think you know the plot of a book - spoiler! - painting ages, man does not - then actually read said book. Egads. I shan't use that reference again, for beautiful, eternally young Dorian is a right selfish git. Part of the beauty of Oscar Wilde is his immense quotability, quips ready for so many of life's moments, sly, cynical and perfect for any era. Some of them are unexpectedly lovely: "When I like people immensely I never tell their names to anyone. It is like surrendering a part of them. I have grown to love secrecy. It seems to be the one thing that can make modern life mysterious or marvellous to us. The commonest thing is delightful if one only hides it." And other, to be kind we can call old fashioned, by which we mean sexist AF. “I am afraid that women appreciate cruelty, downright cruelty, more than anything else. They have wonderfully primitive instincts. We have emancipated them, but they remain slaves looking for their masters, all the same. They love being dominated. " The book is full of beliefs like the above, about women, Americans, lower class people - in short anyone who is not Harry or Dorian, with the brief exception of Basil before he disappoints and is cast aside as well. Everything is discussed at length, back and forth as if some eager neophyte sits at their feet, watching the conversation like a tennis match, to jot down words of wisdom. It feels like The Great Gatsy's grand sense of style over substance, though perhaps I should say Gatsby feels like this. Some passages do little to contribute to the plot - pages upon pages of Dorian's collected indulgences - that are difficult to slog through. I'll admit to skimming. There are not homoerotic undertones, there are large flashing neon - oops, candlelight - signs of bisexuality and homosexuality. Scandalous at the time, but subtle compared to everyday life now. One wonders how much living in the midst of that societal attitude contributed to the negativity expressed so much above, and mourns for how the author might have been able to flourish in a different time.

livro lindo! as flores são em alto relevo e a lateral do miolo é dourada. é um pouco menor do que eu esperava mas achei o tamanho perfeito! as folhas têm uma textura meio impermeável (algumas pessoas podem não gostar, mas eu pessoalmente amei já que sou desastrada e acho que assim vai ser um pouco mais dificil de manchar kkkk). a respeito da obra não tem muito o que falar né, oscar wilde é um gênio.

Llegó en excelentes condiciones y antes de lo programado, muy buen material. Me encantó.

Es una edición para darte un capricho o para quedar genial con un regalo. Muy bonita.

edizione molto elegante e curata. dettagli di copertina in rilievo e lucidi, segnalibro, bordo delle pagine dorato, carta patinata, font chiaro e ben leggibile. Sono molto soddisfatta.

Beautiful book, seems very high quality. Likely worth the money, however, has not been read yet.