The Anti-Justine is a pornographic novelization of Restif de la Bretonne’s own life and sexual debauches, which the author tried to defend “morally” by declaring his book to be an “antidote” to the supposed poison of de Sade; yet the book is a monumental odyssey of sexual depravity that often rivals de Sade in its relentless explicitness.
I have had this title before and in the same edition, the difference is that my earlier copy the illustrations were in colour. Duflou was, quirky and habitually published titles in a single limitation with both colour and mono illustrations ( I will link other examples below). Whether there was a method by which one could order either is likely to remain a mystery, but the difference does not seem to be stated anywhere in the books. Its difficult to believe that it was just pot luck, but who knows in the crazy world of clandestine publishing.
My copy with colour illustrations went to auction in 2017, but as with all my books I have a record of that edition which I will also link at the bottom of this listing.
I must say that i believe that the mono images were copied from the coloured, as there is a strange depth to them that doesn’t come from shading.
The publisher was something of a character to say the least, and here I borrow from Patrick Kearneys Scissors and Paste web site:-
Together with René Bonnel, Maurice Duflou was one of the more important erotica publishers in Paris between the two World Wars, but unlike Bonnel he tended to avoid the more avant-garde extremes of the genre, concentrating for the most part on reprints and only the occasional original work. Duflou’s longtime association with Louis Perceau–similar to Bonnel’s with Pascal Pia–produced a number of fine new editions of important eighteenth century works, and several of Perceau’s own compositions and editorial endeavors, including Le Keepsake Galant, a fascinating anthology of shorter erotic pieces, which was by Perceau’s own admission “…l’un des curieux de ceux qu’on publiées sous le manteau au XXe siècle…”. (See Perceau, 327-1.)
In addition to being a publisher, Duflou was also a printer, and there is evidence to suggest that he may have printed books for others. School Life in Paris (‘Privately Printed, 1923’) for example is pointedly described by Pia (2nd ed., p. 684) as being merely printed by Duflou, whereas all the other Duflou titles noted by Pia are French and stated to have been both printed and published by him. This suggests that Duflou’s work as a printer for others may have been limited to cheaply produced English works ‘for the trade’ rather than the finely printed works he did in partnership with Perceau and others.
Link to Patrick Keaney’s biblio/biography of Maurice Duflou
Scissors and Paste Duflou. Pat K
Front Cover
Title Page
RESTIF DE LA BRETONNE, (Nicolas-Edmé). – L’Anti-Justine, ou les Délices de l’amour. Nouvelle édition entièrement revue et corrigée, établie pour la première fois sur le texte originale de 1798. Précédée d’une Notice Bibliographique par Helpey, bibliophile poitevin [Louis Perceau]. Ile Sainte-Louis: De l’imprimerie de Monsieur Nicolas [c. 1930]. 4to. pp. 244. 12 ‘aquatintes libres reproduites en héliogravure.’ Limited to 350 copies on papier Alfax. (watermarked Alfax Navarre)
This copy: In original publishers blue /grey, paper wraps printed in red and black, over plain card covers, very slightly grubby from handling. Spine and back are neutral. Contents clean and complete, with 12 heliogravures signed le Loup ‘ each with a protective tissue guard. numbered limited edition. A very good copy.
limitation
Sample Text
Cover of original edition
Sample text
The Illustrations
Table of contents
see also
