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.]
This book is For Sale
This Book
CROISIÈRE AMOUREUSE, roman érotique de Claude de LAUNIES, illustré en couleurs – EO, New-York – Paris, Sous le signe du grand écart, s.d. [Paris, Maurice Duflou, vers 1937]
Serious enquiries only please. for pricing or to offer information or pose any questions, please complete the contact form.
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.
Any information, questions or comments please complete the Contact Form
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.
And an extraordinarily beautiful book it is too. Purchased as an investment piece. I must admit that I am not a particular fan of the artist Viset, (Luc Lafnet), even though I have had many books illustrated my him, his Viset identity is usually reserved for his explicit work, Jim Black, mainly for his flagellation material. If I have to choose, then the Viset material, to me is comically obscene, and Jim Black, just weird but not really weird enough.
As for clandestine publishing, and its mysteries, then the combination of Perceau, Briffaut and Duflou, singularly or in any combination, have produced some of the finest of books and this one is no exception, I leave the decision making to the experts and my favourite expert is Patrick Kearney and the bibliographical description is his.
Note: The images are in book form and taken in a way that does not stress or damage the book, as a result they are not flattened images, and may have shadows caused by the curvature of the page when the image is taken, I adjust exposure to give the clearest picture for presentation on this site, the images in the book are clearer and sharper than the images presented here, they are after all engraved plates and not photographs.
Title Page
This Book: GAUTIER, Théophile. – Lettres à la Présidente et galanteries poétiques. édition contenant soixante-cinq lettres inédites et le texte exact de la lettre d’Italie. Publiée avec une introduction et des notes par Helpey [Louis Perceau]. Accompagnée d’une étude sur la Présidente par Sylvestre Bonnard [Pierre Dufay]. Neuilly [Paris]: éditions du Musée secret [?Maurice Duflou],
1927.
Beautifully bound in quarter black leather, with 5 raised bands, author and title in gilt on spine, on blue and grey marbled boards, with matching inner lining. Three sets of additional fep’s, Original covers and spine preserved. Photographic frontispiece of the author, title page printed in red and black matches the cover exactly, 199 numbered pages, printed on Japon Imperial. Letter “I” of 15 copies lettered A-0. (dimensions in binding (23.5 x16 cm) (Weight 1kg)), photographic image on page 101. The 11 engraved plates signed “Viset”, with artists embellishments are all in the latter part of the book after page 121. The list of contents are as detailed in the image below. A fine collection quality copy.
Table of contents
Bibliographical description courtesy of Patrick Kearney
GAUTIER, Théophile. – Lettres à la Présidente et galanteries poétiques. édition contenant soixante-cinq lettres inédites et le texte exact de la lettre d’Italie. Publiée avec une introduction et des notes par Helpey [Louis Perceau]. Accompagnée d’une étude sur la Présidente par Sylvestre Bonnard [Pierre Dufay]. Neuilly [Paris]: éditions du Musée secret [?Maurice Duflou],
1927. 8vo. 199 pp., pl. et portrait. photographiques deThéophile Gautier et de Mme Sabatier, pl. gr. à l’eauforte signées Viset [Luc Lafnet]. Limited to 465 lettered and numbered copies. [Bibliothèque Nationale (3 copies).
GAUTIER, Théophile. – Lettres à la Présidente et galanteries poétiques.Neuilly [Paris]: éditions du Musée secret [?Maurice Duflou], 1927.
This Book
Serious enquiries only please. To discuss purchase and negotiate price, please complete the contact form, unless you already know me, in which case please e-mail me direct.
A slight diversion back into the world of clandestine publishing. This one has some familiar features around the structure of the title page and the printers motif, but I am hesitant to attribute it to a particular publisher without a little more research. Perhaps one of you knows who the guilty party was?
I have seen this one listed for sale elsewhere with 10 illustrations, and in fact Dutel sees only 10 illustrations, there are in fact 11, one being the frontispiece, as the images below will evidence.
Title Page
ANON; SÉDUCTION. Jeunes amours. Avec des gravures sur cuivre par un artiste célèbre. Published by Aux dépens d’un amateur, pour le profit de quelques autres, MCXXXIX (1939). No Publisher, printed 30th April 1939. In original pink card sleeve and slipcase, 143 p. 24.5 x 20 cm. Loose sheets, White cover with title printed in red, Inner envelope with colour illustrated frontispiece, limitation 49/99, Title page printed in red and black with printers motif medallion printed in red. 10 loose full page illustrations, with very delicate hand coloured etchings. Chapter headings decorated in red and black, black motif chapter endings. Pink Cover and sleeve show signs of use and some discolouration, contents clean and bright with all 11 colour illustrations. Complete Very Good.
ANON; SÉDUCTION. Jeunes amours. Avec des gravures sur cuivre par un artiste célèbre. Published by Aux dépens d’un amateur, pour le profit de quelques autres, MCXXXIX (1939)
This Book
Any information regarding publisher or artist, please complete the Contact Form.
Here we are again, back to the strange and complex world of the books published by Charles Carrington, (not his real name), under, in this case his most common imprint, being his company name. Nothing is quite as it seems with these books and if you attempt to follow future listings you will gradually become just as confused about it all as I am. For the moment lets just focus on this one title, except, it isn’t just one title. Confused? Brilliant, let us proceed.
Originally published in German, Written by W. Reinhard. Lenchen im Zuchthause in c. 1848. Though claiming to be a direct translation of the German Edition, it appears that this the first, French language edition, was actually translated from the First English language edition, published clandestinely by Charles Carrington entitled Nell in Bridewell, in 1900 under his Society of British Bibliophiles imprint.
It is worthy of note that there is often significant variation in content, between French and English translations of Carrington books (in all imprints), A clandestine imprint usually indicating greater sexual (pornographic) content, although at times the same device was used to hide the publisher from, outraged authors and fellow clandestine publishers when he had nicked their books without consent or in breach of copyright.
Nobody gave a toss about the flagellation stuff, and it was generally, neither censored, nor proscribed. Although this rule, like all good rules, does have exceptions
Brilliant!
As with other listings in this collection, I will distinguish between the actual book (This Book), and the bibliographical description, which describes how the book should have looked when it was made, Even this is subjective as very few bibliographical descriptions are completed “Book in Hand”. Mine are!
Title Page
Jean du Villiot (trans): La Flagellation Des Femmes en Allemagne. illustrations par Martin van Maele, Paris Charles Carrington, 1901. Rebound in red patterned cloth, over brown leather boards, spine in brown leather with title embossed, in red and black text and Publisher and date in black. Original (remains of) paper cover (front and back) pasted in. (original paper spine not retained), Number 309/500, on papier de Hollande. 236 rough cut pages. No printer referenced in this copy. Dimensions including binding (24 x 15.5 x 4.5 cm, weight 1 kg) Frontispiece and 19, duotone full page illustrations, signed (motif),by Martin Van Maele, each with its own tissue guard, (with textual description, and the number of the facing page printed in red). With 8 additional illustrations in text, by G.Dola and J. Wely.
Complete and in Very Good condition. From the Michael Neal Collection his note. Villiot – La Flagellation des femmes en allemagne 1901from the Leonardt collection lux binding slipcase.
NOTE: The following bibliographical description is in error, the 20 illustrations by Van Maele, includes the frontispiece.
Bibliographical Description
LA FLAGELLATION | DES FEMMES [red] | EN ALLEMAGNE | Récit authentique d’une Prisonnière [red] | TRADUIT DE L’ALLEMAND DE | W. REINHARD | PAR | JEAN DU VILLIOT [red] | Vingt illustrations par MARTIN VAN MAELE | [vignette] | PARIS | CHARLES CARRINGTON [red] | 13, FAUBOURG MONTMARTRE, 13 | [short rule] | 1901 (13.97 x 22.86 cm). xi + 356 pp. Frontispiece + 20 engravings in red and black (with tissue guards), signed with Van Maele’s monogram. The in-text illustrations are by J.W. [J. Wely?] and G.D. [G. Dola?]. Printed by A.– G. Lemale [from a note in the copy at Kinsey] in a limited edition of 500 copies on Holland. First published as Lenchen im Zuchthause in c. 1848. This present edition is a French translation of Nell in Bridewell, published by Carrington in 1900 under his Society of British Bibliophiles imprint. (Kinsey: 833.7 R369 l5F 190. Leonhardt: lot 419. Private
Perry, S. A.. Martin Van Maele: An Illustrated Bibliographical Checklist (Kindle Locations 290-297). . Kindle Edition.
This is the first, in what promises to be a very large collection of titles published by Charles Carrington, either openly or under one of his clandestine imprints, many of the titles originate from the Michael Neal collection, which provides some very interesting, rare and obscure titles, others have come from various sources and have been in my possession for varying amounts of time, some I have listed previously on this site and are no longer in my possession, but as the nature of the site is to catalogue and preserve images of actual books, I am able to link them retrospectively and avoid the expense of having to purchase them again. More of this another time.
I have chosen, for no other reason, than a Van Maele connection, to list “Pan Michael”, as the first title in this new collection, and in doing so I have stumbled upon a bibliographical mystery, as I cannot locate another 1904 edition, and as I cannot find a listed copy of the 1902 Carrington edition that has the Van Maele illustrations. I can only assume the the illustrations were designed specifically for the 1904 edition and there were never any in the 1902 edition.
There are various earlier editions of this title in English, French and Polish. I am not clear why Carrington chose to publish this title, as despite his forays into, pseudo-scientific and medical publications, as well as folk lore, the underlying theme to both openly published and clandestine imprints is sex, including a large selection of books on the flagellation theme, even with the books by Anatole France there is a gothic/demonic content with a very erotic and sensual imagery, both textual and especially in the Van Maele illustrations, I just cannot make this title fit into any of Carringtons traditional genres. Unsure if anyone can answer this question, but a always any suggestions or contributions to enhance the listing are always welcome
The description provided by S.A. Perry, in her Martin Van Maele bibliography. references in detail the 1904 edition. My copy does not have the original covers which explains why I have 10 illustrations, the “onze” (eleven), referenced on the title page, included the illustrated, cover. Still 10 is better than none, and this leaves the door open for some generous donor to provide an image of the cover, to complete the listing.
As will be the norm, my description is titled “This Book” and describes the copy I have in hand “warts and all”, this will be followed by a full bibliographical description (where there is one), which describes the book as it was (allegedly) when it was produced. A note of caution is, that many bibliographers have never seen the actual book, and their descriptions, are often the result of using earlier bibliographers descriptions, or from research on-line or in National, or University collections. In the worst case scenario descriptions are from publishers catalogues, which in the case of Carrington, and similar publishers, are largely fabricated, and with false information as to the limitation numbers, the various luxury editions and the cost of such items. This goes with the territory of publishing erotica in whatever form, and such activity in this area is still happening today, with false provenance of newly discovered works and mysterious unknown artists, suddenly appearing on the market.
It must be said of Carrington, that whatever false claims he made, he did produce an astonishing number of incredibly beautiful books, sadly the only way you can experience the reality of such an object is to hold it in your hands, to take in the exotic scent of an old book, to feel the quality of the paper and weight and physical presence of the object, which is in itself a work of art, that cannot be reproduced today. And that is without even thinking about the illustrations, which lose their essence when paint shopped to make clean electronic copies.
THIS BOOK
Title Page
Rebound in blue marbled boards, with green cloth spine, title, author, motif in gilt, with 3 sets of gilt parallel lines. ( see image at head of this listing). Lacking original paper covers, endpapers and any reference as to limitation. Commences with title page. 638 pages, dimensions (with binding 18 x 13 x 4 cm), weight 700 gr. Contents complete with 10 full page plates from engravings, single sided on slightly heavier paper than the text, presumably tipped in, but attached in sequence to the page of relevant text. Each image indexed and with textual description, and signed with Van Maele’s motif signature. Overall condition good, with general marking and wear appropriate to a book of this age which has been in circulation. as mentioned above the title page indicates “Onze” (eleven) illustrations, this includes the illustrated cover which is absent from this book. Rare Title. Not for sale.
Cover
Sample text
Full Bibliographical Description.
Pan Michaël HENRYK SIENKIEWICZ | [short rule] | Pan Michaël | (MESSIRE VOLODVOVSKI) | TRADUIT PAR CHARLES GROLLEAU | [short rule] | Puisque saint Michael conduit toute | l’armée des Cieux et a gagné tant de | victoires sur les légions infernales, | je le choisis pour patron. | (Le Déluge.) | NOUVELLE ÉDITION | Onze dessins de Martin VAN MAELE | [short rule] | PARIS | CHARLES CARRINGTON, LIBRAIRE-EDITEUR | 13, FAUBOURG MONTMARTRE, 13 | [short rule] | 1904
In-12. (13 x 19 cm). 638 pp. 10 captioned hors-texte drawings in black signed with Van Maele’s monogram. Illustrated front cover (title in red) signed Martin + his monogram. Printed by E. Arrault et Cie. Hors-texte: 37, 65, 95, 223, 271, 349, 391, 445, 481, 536 From a 1904 Carrington catalogue published in the back of Le Pantalon Féminin, 1906: « Nouvelle édition de dix dessins hors texte, par Martin van Maele, et d’une couverture illustrée par le même. Un fort volume in-18 jésus de 600 pages. 50 exemplaires sur Hollande, 15 sur Chine. » (Bibliothèque Nationale: 8-Y2-53302. Private collection)
Perry, S. A.. Martin Van Maele: An Illustrated Bibliographical Checklist (Kindle Locations 538-543). . Kindle Edition.
Introducing the first in a new series of books illustrated by Martin Van Maele. I shall in time link to existing material by this artist already on this blog, much of which , are from titles published by Charles Carrington, another collection focus for me in months to come. This title however is not from Carrington, but is a clandestine publication, from one of Briffaut’s , many under cover imprints.
Les Gaietés de Béranger; A Éleuthéropolis , A l’Enseigne de Cupidon, n.d [c1920]. 8vo. (23 x14 cm), 102 pp (inc, 2 pages Table of contents). Frontispiece + 11 unsigned engravings done in black. Clandestine title but Briffaut. True first with no reference to the artist ( A later edition credits “Van Triozem”, Martin Van Maele’s preferred alter ego for more explicit works), this copy, with uncut pages, and loose illustrations, which are indexed by pencilled description of location in text as well as page number. Very good copy, possibly unique edition.
