Oscar Wilde Discovers America [1882]

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Cover picture(first published 1936)

Lloyd Lewis (1891 – 1949) and Henry Justin Smith (1875 – 1936)
Language: English

In 1882, Oscar Wilde toured North America from New York to San Francisco and Montreal to New Orleans, lecturing on art and home decoration. The American public was familiar with Wilde thanks to the newspaper cartoons that mocked him and his fellow aesthetes for their peculiar dress and ideas. They were more eager to see his long hair and knee breeches than hear him talk. Oscar Wilde Discovers America [1882] is the first full account of Wilde’s tour. Lewis and Smith create a picture of Wilde at the very beginning of his career, and vividly conjure the cultural milieu of America at the end of the 19th century. (summary by Rob Marland)

The original text of this recording is in the Public Domain in countries where copyright expires 70 years or less after the author’s death, but is still protected by copyright in the USA and some other countries. Please check the copyright law of your country before downloading.
The recording is released under the Creative Commons license CC0.

Total running time: 19:51:50 – Read in English by Rob Marland

01 – Book One: The Aesthetes. 1. ‘A Most Intense Young Man’ – 35:24 min [download all sections]
02 – 2. ‘Advance Poster for Patience’ – 30:10 min
03 – Book Two: First Discoveries. 1. ‘Nothing to Declare But My Genius’ – 36:25 min
04 – 2. Lilies Over Ladies’ Hearts – 52:04 min
05 – 3. At Whitman’s Feet – 54:09 min
06 – 4. ‘Tongueless Silence … Dreamless Dust’ – 41:56 min
07 – 5. The Trials of Guiteau—and Oscar – 16:07 min
08 – 6. In the ‘Athens of America’ – 25:12 min
09 – 7. Lady of ‘The Battle-Hymn’ – 19:26 min
10 – 8. ‘Gentle, Sweet, and Crushing’ – 32:12 min
11 – Book Three: March Across the Continent. 1. ‘America—the Paradise of Women’ – 54:28 min
12 – 2. ‘Wild Oscar, the Ass-thete’ – 30:26 min
13 – 3. Chicago, the ‘Windy’ – 19:02 min
14 – 4. ‘A Castellated Monstrosity’ – 24:35 min
15 – 5. ‘The Free-Lunch Route’ – 27:01 min
16 – 6. Ice Cream with the Governor of Indiana – 29:12 min
17 – 7. The Beautiful Streets of St. Louis – 43:45 min
18 – 8. A Nation of Orators – 38:05 min
19 – 9. Aesthetes in Leather – 41:50 min
20 – 10. A Three-Bottle Man Comes to California – 42:51 min
21 – 11. Jesse, by Jehovah! – 51:46 min
22 – 12. The Scarlet Aesthetes of Denver, 1-4 – 31:53 min
23 – 12. The Scarlet Aesthetes of Denver, 5-6 – 33:05 min
24 – 13. ‘Eugene Field Plays It Pretty Low-down’, 1-5 – 31:48 min
25 – 13. ‘Eugene Field Plays It Pretty Low-down’, 6-9 – 33:11 min
26 – Book Four: Eastward, Southward, Northward. 1. Sunflowers in Kansas – 38:29 min
27 – 2. ‘Adds a New Horror to Death’ – 37:31 min
28 – 3. ‘Most Beautiful Flower in the South’, 1-6 – 35:00 min
29 – 3. ‘Most Beautiful Flower in the South’, 7-12 – 38:27 min
30 – 4. Immortalized in Crazy Quilts – 37:03 min
31 – Book Five: ‘I Would Rather Have Discovered Mrs. Langtry…’. ‘The Public Be Damned!’ – 49:38 min
32 – 2. ‘Lily of Love, Pure and Inviolate’ – 33:17 min
33 – 3. ‘Do You Love Mrs. Langtry?’ – 42:00 min
34 – 4. ‘No Wave of His Chiseled Hand’ – 04:22 min

In addition to the reader, this audio book was produced by:
Dedicated Proof-Listener: Newgatenovelist,
Meta-Coordinator/Cataloging: Viktor Horvath.

Catalogued 12. February 2021