We have a guest speaker next Thursday, 30th May at Special Collections at 6-30. Michael Seeney, the scholar and collector of Oscar Wilde items, will be talking about Wilde, collections, and collecting.
Michael has all kinds of things, from Wilde letters, signed rare editions and photos, to t-shirts and mugs. Perhaps his strangest object is one of only two plaster casts of Wilde’s hand, made at his death-bed. Michael is also a renowned expert on the life and works, and has written the biography of Wilde’s close friend, More Adey. Michael will be talking about his experiences as a Wilde collector, and the value of private collections to researchers and to the wider public. He will also tell us some of the extraordinary stories of important collectors of the past and what has become of their collections.
So, if you are a researching your dissertation on Wilde and want to know how collections might help you, or if you are just a Wilde fan who wants to know how much you would have to pay for an authentic Wilde autograph, Michael can tell you.
The talk is free, but you would have to reserve a seat via eventbrite: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/event/collecting-oscar-wilde-public-and-private-good/
