The Remarkable Rocket by Oscar Wilde

A prince is getting married, the whole kingdom is celebrating, and the fireworks are gathering for the big night — except one of them has other plans. Meet the Rocket: brilliant, dazzling, and utterly convinced of his own magnificence. While the Roman Candle, the Fire Fountain, the little Squib, and the Bengal Light chatter excitedly about the evening ahead, the Rocket has no interest in anyone’s happiness but his own. He weeps for effect, sulks over imagined slights, and is certain — absolutely certain — that the entire world exists to watch him shine.

First published in 1888 as one of Oscar Wilde’s nine fairy tales — stories he loved reading aloud to his own sons — The Remarkable Rocket is a sharp, funny fable about vanity, self-importance, and the gap between how we see ourselves and how the world actually sees us. It’s Wilde at his wittiest: a story populated entirely by talking objects, each with a distinct voice and a very particular opinion of themselves.

This edition pairs Wilde’s original text with vivid new illustrations by Russian artist Sveta Shuvaeva, created specially for this book. Known for her paper-based art installations and boundary-pushing design work, Shuvaeva researched the fireworks, carriages, and costumes of Wilde’s era in careful detail — then wove in playful, hidden nods to the modern world throughout. Look closely, and you’ll spot a crown that resembles a Burger King paper hat, and a princess’s carriage passing distinctly contemporary high-rises. It’s a fairy tale built for both nostalgic readers and curious young detectives.

Equal parts classic and mischievous, this is a Remarkable Rocket built to be pored over again and again.