Oscar Wilde is remembered today primarily as a brilliant and witty playwright and the author of the novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray. As a result, his shorter pieces of fiction have tended to be neglected, which is a shame for they not only display the same kind of scathing wit, imaginative flourish and engaging narratives as his other work, but present a wider range of subjects and ideas. As well as such comic tales as The Canterville Ghost and Lord Arthur Savile's Crime, there are the marvellous fairy stories and fantasies such as The Selfish Giant, The Happy Prince and The Star Child. The challenge and pleasure of these stories is the simultaneous appeal to both child and adult with their themes of love, truth and sacrifice which are as relevant today as when they were written. In this collection are to be found some of the brightest gems from the treasure trove of Oscar Wilde's writings.
