The attractive appearance of this pretty little book is hardly justified by its contents. Though we often 'admire Mr. Wilde and are always ready to acknowledge his genius in these whimsical little stories, and especially in the first which gives its title to the book, he seems to be playing with his powers and trying to make nonsense appear as though it had some undercurrent of truth, or was cast in the form of an allegory. The story is only worth reading for the witty and epigrammatic little remarks scattered through it in the characteristic Wildeian vein, such as the 'several Royal Academicians disguised as artists', who came to Lady Windermere's reception. The following speech by the same lady is redolent also of the great Oscar: ‘The proper basis for marriage is a mutual misunderstanding. No, I am not at all cynical, I have merely got experience, which, however, is very much the same thing'.