Better late than never...

The Oct. 16 New York Times reports that 125 years after his death, Oscar Wilde is posthumously receiving something taken from him long ago: his library card. Merlin Holland, a grandson of Wilde’s, accepted a "Reader's Pass" on his ancestor's behalf.

On June 15, 1895, the Irish poet and playwright was excluded from the British Museum’s Reading Room, the precursor to the British Library, following his conviction for "gross indecency." Wilde was already imprisoned by then, however, and it appears he never knew about the card's revocation--a small mercy.

Ironically, over the years the British Library has amassed a large collection of Wilde’s works, including “De Profundis,” the 50,000-word love letter that he wrote in jail to his paramour, Lord Alfred “Bosie” Douglas. The library’s collection also includes manuscripts of some of Wilde’s best known plays, such as “The Importance of Being Earnest,” “An Ideal Husband” and “Lady Windermere’s Fan.”