Picture of Dorian Gray

A timeless story of beauty, hedonism, and morality

A new addition to the widely read Capstone Classics series, The Picture of Dorian Gray: The Gothic Classic, by Oscar Wilde, explores the brutal consequences of hedonism, loose morals, and an obsessive focus on beauty and pleasure. Wilde’s novel follows a young man, Dorian Gray, who becomes infatuated with his own beauty as it is captured in a portrait by artist Basil Hallward.

Dorian ‘s physical beauty endures through the years as his picture grows ever more grotesque. The portrait becomes a window into his soul, withering and decaying as he pursues a hollow life, devoid of meaningful achievement or virtue.

One of the great Victorian Gothic novels, The Picture of Dorian Gray is as insightful and gripping as when first published.

This deluxe hardback Capstone edition includes a new Introduction by Tom Butler-Bowdon that offers historical and cultural context for the modern reader and provides deeper insights into the text.

Perfect for every fan of literature – or simply those looking for their next great story – The Picture of Dorian Gray is an unmissable classic in the tradition of horror, gothic, dark, and supernatural fiction.

Oscar Wilde (born October 16, 1854, Dublin, Ireland—died November 30, 1900, Paris, France) was an Irish wit, poet, and dramatist whose enduring fame rests on his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891), and on his comic masterpieces Lady Windermere's Fan (1892) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895). Wilde was a spokesman for the late 19th-century Aesthetic movement in England, which advocated art for art's sake. He was also known for his flamboyant style and sharp wit, which made him a popular figure in London's social and artistic circles2. However, his career was marred by scandal when he was imprisoned for homosexual acts in 1895. After his release, Wilde lived in straitened circumstances and died at the age of 46.

Tom Butler-Bowden was working as a political adviser in Australia when, at 25, he read Stephen Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Captivated by it and other books in the personal development field, he left his career and went on to write critical introductions to self-development and prosperity classics through the best-selling Capstone Classics series published by Wiley. He then went on to write bestselling 50 Self-Help Classics, the first guide to the personal development literature and a winner of the Benjamin Franklin Award.