"The horror, whatever it was, had not yet entirely spoiled that exquisite beauty." Captivated by his own magnificent portrait, Dorian Gray trades his soul for eternal youth and beauty. Influenced by his friend Lord Henry Wotton, he becomes entangled in a corrupt double life, gratifying his desires in secret while remaining a gentleman to polite society. Only his portrait bears the marks of his decadence. "The Picture of Dorian Gray" caused a scandal. Early readers were shocked by its hints of unspeakable sins, and the book was later used as evidence against Wilde during his trial at the Old Bailey in 1895. This definitive edition includes a selection of contemporary reviews condemning the novel's immorality and a foreword by Peter Ackroyd.