Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 27, 2026

Percival Wilde

Percival Wilde was an American author and playwright who wrote novels and numerous short stories and one-act plays. He also authored a textbook on the theater arts. Native to New York City, Wilde graduated from Columbia University in 1906, and worked for a time as a banker. He began writing plays in 1912, and joined The Lambs Club in 1947.

Last revised
Jul 27, 2026
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≈ 2 min
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Percival Wilde
Born(1887-03-01)March 1, 1887
New York City, US
DiedSeptember 19, 1953(1953-09-19) (aged 66)
New York, US
OccupationPlaywright, writer
GenreDetective fiction, Comedy
Notable worksInquest (1938)

Percival Wilde (New York City, March 1, 1887 – September 19, 1953) was an American author and playwright who wrote novels and numerous short stories and one-act plays. He also authored a textbook on the theater arts. Native to New York City, Wilde graduated from Columbia University in 1906, and worked for a time as a banker.1 He began writing plays in 1912,1 and joined The Lambs Club in 1947.2

Wilde's plays were especially popular in the Little Theatre Movement.3

List of works

Production of The Finger of God at Shimer College in 1952. source ↗

Novels

  • The Devil's Booth (1930)
  • Mystery Week-End (1938)
  • Inquest (1938)
  • Design for Murder (1941)

Collections of short stories

  • Rogues in Clover (1929)
  • P. Moran, Operative (1947)

Plays

Films (Story)

  • Moonlight Follies (1921)
  • The Guttersnipe (1922)
  • The Rise of Duton Lang (1955)

Nonfiction

  • The Craftmanship of One-Act Plays (1923)
References

References

  1. Manly, John Matthews; Ricker, Edith (1922). Contemporary American Literature. Harcourt, Brace. p. 162.
  2. "The Lambs". the-lambs.org. The Lambs, Inc. (Member Roster). Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  3. Fisher, James; Londré, Felicia Hardison (2013). The A to Z of American Theater: Modernism. p. 516. ISBN 9780810870475.
  4. Wilde, Percival (1922). The reckoning; a play in one act. Boston: Walter H. Baker Company. Retrieved December 15, 2025. The first Little Theatre production of The Reckoning was made by the Players Detroit Michigan February 18, 1922
External links