First edition. Oblong octavo. Bound in modern green cloth, with the original card front cover bound in. A very good copy. Bookplate to front pastedown.
 
A rarity, with an Oscar Wilde contribution.
 
The Shakesperean Show of 1884 was a fundraiser for the Chelsea Hospital for Women held at Royal Albert Hall from May 29 – 31, 1884.
 
This is the official programme for the Show, and includes the first appearance of Oscar Wilde’s poem Under The Balcony.
 
“It is not generally known that the poem composed by Mr. Oscar Wilde for the Shakespearean Show Book was originally conceived as an address to Miss Terry on her departure from America” (The Writings Of Oscar Wilde, edited by Richard Le Gallienne 1907).