Salome - John Vassos's first book illustrations appeared in 1927

John MacCrae Jr., Vice President of E.P. Dutton and Company, saw Vassos's poster for the play Salome at Columbia University and his modernistic advertisements and  was impressed. He immediately contracted Vassos to illustrate three Oscar Wilde books starting with Salome published in 1927. The book sold over 15,000 and led Vassos to be called the new "Aubrey Beardsley" - who was the famous illustrator of Wilde's original books in England at the turn of the century.  Reviewers praised the book like Edwin Bjorkman who wrote, "Had Wilde seen Salome and her environment with the vision of John Vassos, his play might have been a bigger one than it is now."  A second edition of the book was printed in 1930 with four new illustrations "The Moon Was Seeking a Dead Thing," "I have Slipped in Blood," "There is a ...Terrible Silence" and "Salome Dances."