The Picture of Dorian Gray was first published complete in the July 1890 issue of Lippincott's Monthly Magazine. The magazine's editor feared the story was indecent, and without Wilde's knowledge, deleted roughly five hundred words before publication. Despite that censorship, The Picture of Dorian Gray offended the moral sensibilities of British book reviewers, some of whom said that Oscar Wilde merited prosecution for violating the laws guarding the public morality. Dorian Gray doesn't look a day over twenty-two. Once upon a time, Dorian really was young, handsome, and charming. To preserve Dorian's charm, his friend Basil Hallward the artist painted his portrait. Soon, the picture -- and Dorian's close friendship with Basil -- On the inside, every wicked deed he commits leaves its mark -- or does it? The portrait that Basil painted hangs in a special room in Dorian's house, covered completely. Underneath the cover lies an image that has changed and aged, just as Dorian has not.