The portrait which Basil Hallward painted of Dorian Gray revealed the face of an Adonis, and when he saw the finished picture of himself, the beautiful young aesthete exclaimed: "Why should it keep what I must loose?"
The book offers a comprehensive and authoritative account of Oscar Wilde's two trials, drawing from diverse sources such as official and private letters, newspaper reports, and incomplete transcripts. It highlights the trials' significant impact on legal and cultural history, presenting an in-depth analysis that sheds new light on this pivotal moment.