As it is now taking me such a long time to put together a listing for a book, I have decided to post random images from books, that I have that will never be listed here in full. This, the first of a series , unless I get bored with the idea. I am not even going to tell you where the image is from or who it is by, I might not even know who the image is by!
These images are from various titles dealing with the history of erotica, in various languages, or just odd things I have lying around.
If anyone knows where the image is from or who it is by, please leave a comment or complete a contact form. Your name will not be published unless you so wish.
Every now and then a book comes along that has everything right about it, this is one such book. Not necessarily because of condition, but because the object itself is aesthetically pleasing, I have had number of titles produced by Editions Prima, and have been impressed by the quality of the books, both in structure and content. Despite this it is difficult obtain a list of titles produced by the press. They appear to have been quite prolific, producing pulp novels in their Editions Gauloise series and other esoteric titles.I have not been able to locate a definitive list of the flagellation novels.
Matters are made more complex by the list of titles by this author in the front of this volume, none of which are Editions Prima titles. They are all either Amateur-Biblio or Librairie Générale titles, this is possibly explained by this title apparently being a reissue of the same title produced in 1930 by Librairie Générale , I have not had site of that edition, but from the limited material available on line it looks to be of a much poorer quality than this edition. If this copy is a piracy it is a very expensive one. If anyone can explain this anomaly please complete a contact form.
I have decided to lay this one out in book form, so that the page decorations can be seen in situ, rather than just cropping out the illustrations, I have used only images in the book to construct this listing, it always make me happy when a book provides all of the content required to decorate a listing. Enjoy!
Synopsis
First episode of the adventures of Betty, alias Miss Cravache, daughter of an American businessman installed in Corrèze, with a strong and eccentric character. With the help of her butler and stable master, she took a liking to the domination and training of impressionable young girls, including her niece, whom she treated like a bitch.
LA BEUQUE, Jean de SMIT; Miss Cravache ou Les Vierges Esclaves, Editions Prima, 44 rue Servan, Paris (Xie), n.d. [circa 1932], illustrations by Topfer, Jean de la Beque and Ely Costes. In original illustrated cover on textured cream card printed in black and red with a red vignette by Ely Costes. Adorned with 12 inset heliogravures in sepia, on loose sheets including a frontispiece by Topfer [Gaston SMIT) and 4 inset illustrations, decorated caps and chapter ends by Jean de La Beuque and Ely Costes. . In-8 softcover, 14.3 x 22.7 cm. 223 pp. In excellent condition. Reissue, in all respects, of a novel published by the Librairie Générale in 1930. It was belatedly condemned in 1953 by the Seine court.
The Select-Bibliothèque was one of several publishing houses specializing in fetish material that flourished in Paris during the first half of the twentieth century. Like the others, notably Jean Fort’s ‘Orties Blanches’ series and the ‘Librairie Artistique et Editions Parisiennes Reunies’ of Paul Brenet, the books of the Select Bibliothèque were published openly. Occasionally a title would cross some mysterious line and be prosecuted, but in general, since there was no sex in the conventional sense, these publishers were left to their devices by the authorities.
Despite the openness of these books, the publisher of the Select Bibliothèque remains unknown, at least to this cataloguer. Paul Jérôme writes of Don Brennus Aléra as being “un (ou plusieurs) des pourvoyeurs de l’editeur parisien Massy…”(Dictionnaire des œuvres érotiques, Paris: Mercure de France,1971, p. 484). In fact, Massy was where the earliest books in the series were published. The almost anagramitic similarity of the names of the authors of most of the books – Bernard Valonnes,Don Brennus Aléra, Roland Brevannes – suggests a single hand at work, and one that spanned in excess of 30 years. And it might not be unreasonable to think that the author was also the publisher.
BRÉVANNES, Roland. – La Nudité de Lucy. Sceaux: Select Bibliothèque, 1920. In-16, 208 pp., 8 illustrations signed ‘Tack.’ Part of the series ‘Les Nuits rouges. This copy, rebound in cheap boards, original covers not preserved, otherwise surprisingly complete, the last page is pasted to the back board, text is complete, and all 8 illustrations by Tack are present and in very good condition. This is number 48 in the series, these titles are highly collectible, and are elusive because the cheap production quality reduces the likelihood of survival.
Original Cover (missing from the item listed ) image supplied courtesy of, Christophe Bier.
Bibliographical information reproduced with his permission from Patrick Kearney’s Scissors and Paste website
Louis (for Jules) Malteste. Born September 14, 1862 in Chartres (Eure-et-Loir) and died January 25, 1928 in Paris. French author, lithographer, designer and illustrator. “He was the brother of Henri Théodore Malteste, known as Malatesta [1870-1920]. He lived and worked in Paris, where he exhibited in 1897 at the Salon des Cent, in 1902 at the Salon of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts. the humorous press: The Butter Plate , The Black Cat , I know everything , Readings for all , Who reads laughs , etc. He created posters and postcards. ” He was also published in the journal La Plume in 1897. Malteste used the pseudonym Jacques d’Icy for writing sadomasochistic texts. Illustrator of many books.
Icy, Jacques d’: Suzanne écuyère. Confidences et révélations de la belle Suzanne de X… Sa jeunesse et ses hauts faits dans deux mondes bien différents. Collection des Orties Blanches, Paris 1923. 333 printed pages 1 frontispiece, 11 sanguine illustrations by Louis Malteste. Catalogue at the end of the volume. In original Paper wraps over card covers, printed in red and black, cover and spine. original price of 50 francs on spine.
A very rare clandestine publication from Jean Fort, something of a bibliographical mystery, and not much information out there, I am unable to locate a copy in any library, or any history of this title being auctioned. It may simply be that I do not have adequate reference material, but I am asking for any information anyone has about this title. This edition is a great rarity and even more so with a suite of 16 original illustrations. It is likely that the illustrations are “extra” to the book and may have been commissioned by the original owner, they appear contemporary with the book. Cannot establish this for certain unless another copy turns up with these illustrations.
The appears to be some surface debate about which came first, this edition provisionally dated 1911, although it is not actually dated at all, despite someone having penciled 1911 at the foot of the title page, or the clandestine Carrington English edition dated 1910, which claims to have been translated from the French.
This French edition makes no similar claim to have been translated from the English, so given the confusion (deliberate) created by clandestine publishers, the debate about the chronology may simply be a matter of bibliographers pride.
I hope to be able to provide an update soon, in the meantime enjoy this rarity.
Récits de la Villa Brigitte. Fessées Gaillardes et Authentiques racontées par les membres du club sainte Brigitte, Bibliothèque des Deux Hémisphères [ Jean Fort ], collection Cressida, s.d. [1911?]. 2 Volumes in original neutral paper covers. Title of each volume on spine, pp 139, 155+ table. (19 x 12 cm).16 colour plates (unsigned) tipped in, each plate (excepting the first) are indexed against the appropriate volume, i.e. VB 1, VB 2, along with the page number the image is paired with. The illustrations are more explicit than the usual flagellation themes.
Covers
Originally published as: Tales of Villa Brigitte. Translated from the French by M. A. Oxon, London & Melbourne [Paris], H.-J. Vicar, Sons and Co [ Charles Carrington ], 1910. About the translator, the catalog of the Kinsey Institute indicates: “Identification of translator with Moses William Stainton, who used the same pseudonym is uncertain.”
Esclavage ou L’Agonie sous le fouet, traduit de l’anglais par Alan Mac Clyde, Librairie Générale, Paris 1932.Illustrations by Carlo.
243 pages + 4 pages adverts.In original pale blue card covers with cover illustration by Carlo. This copy is only about Good, with wear and marking to covers, it is however very rare in such a complete state, with 27 Illustrations (23 by Carlo).
Quinze Ans Roman sur la discipline familiale suivi de quelques lettres sur les châtiments corporels dans l éducation des jeunes filles et de Sonia ou la Belle Etudiante
MAC ORLAN, Pierre] BLACKEYES, Sadie & MALTESTE, Louis (illustrations)Collection des Orties Blanches, 1922. Couverture souple. Condition: Assez bon. 2ème Édition. Orné de 10 illustrations hors-texte en noir sur papier couché de Louis MALTESTE. Collection des Orties Blanches, 39 rue Chabrol, Paris, s.d. [1922]. In-8 broché, 13,2 x 20,5 cm. 201 pp.
Pierre Dumarchey( Pierre de Jusange), La Comtesse au Fouet, Belle et Terrible. Jean Fort Paris 1911. Cover and six plates by Ludovic Riezer, rebound in quarter leather over marbled boards, Spine with four raised bands, Author,title and decorations in gilt. Original cover including spine bound in. 251 pp, 20.5 x 14 c.m.
I generally do not list items which are after 1965, however I allow myself certain exceptions, specifically when any illustrations are from an earlier period, such as this small item, which has the added attaraction of text in English and using the very old fashioned device of text in the form of letters. There are links below the listing to some of the original titles, from which the illustrations in this pamphlet were copied.
UNIQUE – For Lovers of the Unusual , Small undated (1970?) booklet side stapled with illustrated cover in brown and green, (10.5 x 14 cm), inked numericals on font cover, order form inside back cover.41 pages of text, in the form of letters, 7 illustrations which are cropped versions of the illustrations from various Editions Prima publications from the 1930’s, the artist is Herric:- (Chéri Hérouard). Very Good.
That very rare ocurence on this site, a book without illustrations!, this one is here because I really like it, and I have long been a fan of the publications of Charles Carrington and especially the clandestine titles. Despite the lack of illustrations, (it was never issued as an illustrated edition), it is exceedingly rare and of interest to the serious erotic bibliophile.
title page
Lord Drialys, [Jean de Villiot], Clic ! Clac ! Précédé d’un conte “Home-Discipline”, Librairie des Bibliophiles Parisiens [ Charles Carrington ],Paris, 1907
Printed by, Alençon, Imprimerie Veuve Félix Guy et Cie, 342 pp, (18.5 x 13.5 cm.). Rebound in quarter vellum, on cross hatched boards, Original cover, including spine bound in. Very attractive spine design, with author in red, title in black and a design of two crossed flagellation whips at the base, would grace any bookshelf.
Binding
Epigraph : Parmi les mots légers de rose fouettés / En est-il de plus tendres, de plus veloutés, / Que le joli mot f…e et nul ne le caresse ? / Croupe allourdit toujours le corps de la faunesse.
Original cover
Référence / Reference : Ouvrage absent des bibliothèques de la Bibliothèque Nationale de France, du Kinsey Institute et de la British Library (No copy available in the libraries of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, the Kinsey Institute or the British Library)
