Bit of a surprise this one, a clandestine Losfeld that I have never seen before, and completely anonymous, no text just illustrations, no research material, available.
Pat Kearney lists it thus :-
QU’EN PENSEZ-VOUS? n.p., n.d. [c.1958]. 8°. 16 ff.
Dutel 2284. An album of erotic illustrations used by Losfeld in his
other publications. – No repository copy found.
The reference to Dutel presumably says the same but in French.
Title Page
QU’EN PENSEZ-VOUS? n.p., n.d. [c.1958] (Losfeld). In original, publishers textured cream coloured card covers, title in purple on front cover, otherwise completely anonymous. (23 x 14.5 cm),blank ffep, half title, Title Page, blank verso, followed by 21 illustrations on 22 pages (inc 1 double page illustration) all printed in black on thick card. Absolutely no text or publication details.
Rare erotic work of the 1930s, signed by a certain Claude de Launies, a pseudonym behind which Renée Dunan (1892-1936 or 1944), a pioneer of the feminine, or perhaps Johannès Gros (?-1936/37) could hide. The book was published by Maurice DUFLOU (1885-1951), who used for the occasion a fictitious cover, “Sous le signe du grand écart”. It follows the sexual adventures of a young American woman, Marjorie. It is set on the ocean liner “Normandy”, on which she embarked from New York, that she will be seduced by a stranger, before perfecting her sexual knowledge in Paris where, as she says, she intends to “learn love”. For, you imagine, to believe the books and her friends, it would only be in Paris that we know how to dress… and undress.” The clichés have a hard life… Whether or not Paris deserves its reputation as the capital of love, Marjorie will have fun in every sense of the word: sodomy, lesbianism, sadomasochism, several affairs, “tester” of lovers for a Countess, etc. Almost everything goes with delight! Pleasant curiosa, fun and well written enough for the genre.
Title Page and Limitation
CROISIÈRE AMOUREUSE, roman érotique de Claude de LAUNIES, illustré en couleurs – EO, New-York – Paris, Sous le signe du grand écart [Maurice Dulflou], New York – Paris [Paris], no date, printing [around 1937] paperback, in-8 (about 21.5 H x 15 L cm) – (3 ff.) – 151-[1] – (1 ff.) cream-coloured textured wraps titled in blue; on front cover only, over plain card covers. With 12 free compositions in colours, unsigned, 12 off-texts (approx. 16.8 H x 11.2 L cm with about 8 mm bowls; drawings of approx. 15 H x 9.5 L cm) Text decorated with 9 wood cuts in bistre / red, attributed by Dutel to Louis BERTHOMMÉ SAINT-ANDRÉ (1905-1977) 2 headings (the first repeated five times; the second, four times), 6 cul-de-lamps and 1 title sticker. 120/ 350 ex. of the current print on velin pur fil.
Condition: Cover/ shirt: a little shabby, with some smudges.. There are various small spots or freckles on the first plate, and several smudges, especially at the back head (which seems to have been glued) and at the top right on the second plate, at the level of an old tear (about 4 cm) that has been (mischievously) restored (glued and paper inside). In addition, small slits in the head and tail of the back (about 2 cm and 1 cm). Brown traces of adhesive on the inner covers (likely adhesives of an old protection), with a slight transfer on the half title and the last page (see images) . Top slice a little dusty. Otherwise, nice overall freshness, generally clean if not a few small freckles isolated or discharges on some sheets: p. 8-10 (8 mm), 27 (gutter), 62-64 (lower corners), 70, p. 79, p. 88 – Text may be slightly affected (p. 8-10 or p. 88), but engravings are spared. A small line of zig-zag ink (8 mm) p. 119 at the gutter
20. LAUNIES, (Claude de). – Croisière amoureuse.
New York, Paris, sous le signe du Grande Ecart [c.
1937]. 8vo. pp. 152. Twelve colour plates and many
culs-de-lampe, the latter being designed by Berthommé
Saint-André. Limited to 352 copies. [No repository
copies located, but cited in the important “Curiosa”
auction held at Nouveau Drouot on March 11th 1987,
lot no. 70. Dutel, no. 1317.]
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This one is for the bibliophiles, no illustrations! A very rare item, effectively a pornographic novelette, written in letter form, a salacious account of an alleged visit by an English doctor to a convent prison in Siberia, where he witnesses and records the most severe of tortures and punishments to the female inmates, by which he finds himself extremely aroused, and following his departure from said institution seeks to re-enact his experience by employing prostitutes versed in the fetishist arts. Strong stuff not for the faint hearted. And yes it is in English, a French version was published in a compendium of flagellation material also by Carrington but minus the sexual content.
Title Page
Curious Sidelights of Social History: How Women are Flogged in Russian Prisons, Narrative of a Visit to a Convent Prison in Siberia, by an English Doctor. Paris, Librairie des Bibliophiles, 13 Faubourg Montmarte,1899. In original publishers paper wraps, printed in red and black on a salmon pink paper, over plain card covers. List of English Publications printed on back cover, interestingly this is clearly over-stamped “12 Jan 1903”, Title page duplicates the cover and is also printed in red and black. Contents. 12.07cm. x 19.69cm. xvii + 48pp. Printed on laid paper. Condition, Under a protective opaque sleeve, the book is complete, but shaken, stitching visible, in paper wrap, some light foxing to front cover and spine, Very Good.
This title is from the Michael Neal Collection
Front Cover
Statement
Sample text
sample text
Back Cover
The date stamp, obviously a later addition at the top of the back cover is possibly another indication that the books were stored in sheets and wrappers added when a copy was ordered, thus explaining some confusion caused to bibliographers, when advertisements for titles often list books, printed years after the publication of the book under scrutiny.
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How Women are Flogged Flogged in Russian Prisons
Narrative of a visit to a convent prison in Siberia by an English doctor. Paris: Libraire des Bibliophiles, 1899.
12.07cm. x 19.69cm. xvii + 48pp. Printed on laid paper. Title page printed in red and black.
A note in the Kinsey copy states: “More erotic than the French version in Villiot’s Curiosities et Anecdotes de flagellation”.
A rare and controversial item, not published until after the death of the author, originally published in text only by Simon Kra around 1926, followed by a number of clandestine editions, some allegedly illustrated, but difficult to authenticate as to whether the illustrations were issued with the book or were extra illustrated by owners of the various editions of the book. For our example this is not a problem because the illustrations clearly belong to the scenarios offered up in the text. The artist remains anonymous, but has been accredited elsewhere to Peter Schem, and I am inclined to agree with this as I have owned other titles attributed to Schem.
As always with delicately coloured illustrations, it is difficult to do them justice with digital imagery and the tendency is to try and enhance the colouration, I have resisted that temptation in this listing and the images are as close as I can get to the originals. A lovely copy of a rare and interesting title and hard to believe it is now over 70 years old.
Title Page
Pierre Louys: Manuel de civilité pour les petites filles à l’usage des maisons d’éducation. n.p. Londres (Nice) MCMXLVIII, (1938). 105/271 copies “pour un groupe d’amateurs” on Vélin de Rives (total edition 299). The edition is illustrated with 12 clearly erotic original lithographs on panels that have been coloured by hand. As issued in off white textured slip case with slightly dirty edges and corners. Quarto (25 x 17 cm.). 104 pp., 4 ff. as loose gatherings, 12 aquarelles in pochoir. Printed wrappers in black and pale green, printed throughout in green and black. With an interesting limitation notice.
Another Editions Prima title, and this the rarest I have owned. My Thanks to Christophe Bier, for the synopsis.
Title Page
VERGEREAU, André. L’Infernale Fouetteuse. Orné de 12 illustrations hors-texte en noir de Herric [Chéri HÉROUARD]. Éditions Prima, 44 rue Servan, Paris (Xie), s.d. [1935]. In-8 broché,. Printed by Imprimerie, CERBONNET, 27, Rue de la Folie-Regnault, PARIS. 14,5 x 20,2 cm. 251-(4) pp. Couv. à rabats illustrée par HÉROUARD. In original publishers card covers, illustrated by “Herric”, author, title original price of 25 Francs on spine. Spine and back cover decorated with publishers motif. some splitting to covers at head and tail of spine, general light wear to covers, otherwise Very Good and complete with Cover and 12 full page illustrations, Extraordinarily rare title.
Synopsis (French)
Roseray de Kerlan tient une sorte de journal d’une aventure passée pour le plaisir unique de son mari, parti aux Indes. Elle a vingt ans et débute dans le journalisme ; ambitieuse et aventureuse, elle intrigue pour être prisonnière dans un établissement « où l’on enfermait des filles dont le caractère avait grand besoin d’être assoupli ». Elle y découvre la fessée, le martinet, le dortoir, la discipline des cordelettes, la verge jusqu’au sang, l’infirmière aux mains rudes et le père Tape-cuir et les perversions de l’infernale fouetteuse.
VERGEREAU, André. L’Infernale Fouetteuse. Orné de 12 illustrations hors-texte en noir de Herric [Chéri HÉROUARD]. Éditions Prima, 44 rue Servan, Paris (Xie), s.d. [1935]
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