Books for Sale: The Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure or The Life of Fanny Hill by John Cleland, Hoboken 1929.

November 1, 2024 / Steve M. / Leave a comment

Well finally after a level of grief you would not believe i get to list this colour version of this American clandestine “Fanny Hill”. Which disappeared in the international postage system and was lost untracked despite having a tracking, number for over 2 months. After I actually got my hands on it I found it very difficult to get usable images due to paper quality, tight binding and glare and shadow from the illustrations being on glossy paper. As a result I have sought the best reproduction I can manage which has often sacrificed squareness for better quality image. But this is a beautiful object good weight and high quality paper, and superb print, An expensive erotica, which can only really enjoyed as in book form, beautiful in the flesh, and very rare.

Here we have another clandestine copy, one of an apparently endless list of editions of this title, this one fairly clearly places itself in the Americana category, and the printing date is probably fairly accurate, who the publisher or the illustrator were is something of a mystery, however the printers device above is fairly distinctive, and not really pertinent to this particular title, so I wonder if anyone has seen it elsewhere?

The illustrations are often described as Beardlseyesque, and I can see why, but to me also slightly reminiscent of Beresford Egan.

SPECIAL NOTE: 27/07/15; Message from Pat Kearney;

Steve Hi:

I noted your edition of the ‘Hoboken’ Fanny Hill. According to Cliff
Scheiner’s “Compendium” this was first published in 1929 with the
plates — which says are in the style of Elliot Dodd — in colour. A reprint
with the plates in b&w appeared c. 1932. The original ed. with the
colour plates he describes as “rare and desirable.”

Best Pat

This Book. In publishers boards which vary in pattern and colour ,with the uniform, cloth spine, this one with faded label, printers motif barely visible . Very Good cover and contents.

Contents: Blank end-paper; Half Title, verso blank; Frontispiece; Title Page; verso limitation; facing page; half title Letter The First; verso blank: Pages 1-211 text. Complete with the 12 surreal and exotic Deco illustrations by an Unknown artist.

This copy is the first edition, published some 3 years before the mono reprints, which still carry the claim on the title page that the illustrations are in color. This is likely because it was to expensive to reproduce them in color again.

NOTE: The Print Decorations used to space the illustrations are not from this title.

Sample text

The Charles Carrington Collection: Anon: A Town-Bull, or, The Elysian Fields… Carnopolis: Société des Bibliophiles,for the Delectation of the Amorous and the Instruction of the Amateur in the Year of the Excitement of the Sexes. n.p n.d (?Paris: Charles Carrington,c1899.)

October 19, 2024January 5, 2025 / Steve M. / Leave a comment

Not happy with this, images need replacing with accurate exposure.

FIRST DRAFT

An extremely rare clandestine Carrington, on which bibliographers have differing opinions, to some degree, it appears the an earlier clandestine edition with the same title was publishedby Brancart in 1893.A plain copy text only.
This Book despite its gray exterior is packed with glorious head and tail pieces and banners. An absolute swine to scan in, and appears darker on the post than it is in reality, due to my ongoing difficulties with imaging. I hope you like it anyway. Reading the text in some of the images will quickly give you a sense of just how explicit the book was and is.

A Town-Bull, or, the Elysian Fields. How Priapus blessed a poor man, made a living for him, and how, finally, a paradise for free-lovers was established where fathers and daughters, mothers and grandsons, brothers and sisters, white, brown and black cohabitated indiscriminately. Carnopolis [Paris]: Société des Bibliophiles, c.1899.

8vo. 125pp. Limited edition of 300 copies printed on smooth wove paper In original anonymous plain grey wrappers. In very good condition, slight age toning to gray wraps.

Books for Sale: Jacqueline de Lansay (Johanes Gros), Les délices libertines. Roman inédit. Moncontour, au bonheur des dames. n.d. [Maurice Duflou, circa 1937].

September 22, 2024October 11, 2024 / Steve M. / Leave a comment

Another curiosity that I have posted before however this second edition has Colour illustrations ( at least most of them are)., I was aware of the edition but had never seen it, and knowing that a complete one, if it could be found would likely be beyond my means, I was fortunate to find this copy and although it lacks 5 of the original 14 illustrations, I have had the 1935 First edition which had the full set of illustrations but in mono. Therefore I have combined the two listings and where the illustrations below appear in mono, the challenge is for anyone who has copies of them in colour can donate them in jpeg format around 2meg. I credit any contribution in the listing as a donation by donors name if appropriate

This Book

A very nice clandestine erotica from the 1930’s.

Title Page

Jacqueline de Lansay (Johanes Gros), Les délices libertines. Roman inédit. Moncontour, au bonheur des dames. n.d. [Maurice Duflou, circa 1937]. 149 pp, (15×22 cm), Bound with original front cover in a simple contemporary hardcover with title to spine gilt. 149, (3) pp.8vo.Erotic novelette in French, not a pretty copy and not complete but with with 9 (of 14) outstanding illustrations hors-texte, finely printed in color, with the initials D.D. plus numerous fine erotic vignettes printed in red. On Lafuma paper. Number 18 of 450 numbered copies, first edition with colour illustrations

Nice print job, decorated chapter headings and capitals, erotic vignettes as chapter endings. Johanes Gros, published under the pseudonym Jacqueline de Lansay, illustrated with 9(of 14) signed free etchings of the monogram DD.

Original Cover (bound In)

The Illustrations

Image from 35 edition

from 1935 edition

from1935 edition

limitation

BOOKPLATE

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Book for Sale: The Perfumed Garden: A Manual of Arabian Erotology. Sheikh Nefzawi. (Richard Burton) (Abu Abdullah Muhammad ben Umar Nafzawi) Published by Librairie Astra, n.d (Circa 1930) With 6 Illustrations By “Herric”(Cheri Herouard)

September 21, 2024October 25, 2024 / Steve M. / Leave a comment

This Book

Another puzzle, this time it is about a pretty common title. This one and the “Kama Soutra”, were commonly published by Librarie Astra and others and peddled to the English speaking tourist trade in Paris over many years arguably from the late 1920’s to the 1950’s, This Book differs in that it is on much better quality paper than the normal, the print quality is good and the printers motif is not the usual Astra one, and it even has a silk bookmark. But most strikingly it is embellished with 6 rather beautiful illustrations by Herric.

Title Page

The Perfumed Garden: A Manual of Arabian Erotology.
Sheikh Nefzawi. (Richard Burton) (Abu Abdullah Muhammad ben Umar Nafzawi)
Published by Librairie Astra, n.d, (Circa 1930) With 6 Illustrations By “Herric”(Cheri Herouard). 189 pages, bound in blue marbled boards original covers bound in, contents clean and complete, the rather horrid binding has protected the contents very well

(It is worth noting that the written content is very explicit)

Original Cover

The Illustrations

Frontispiece

Introduction

Herric 2

Herrric 3

Herric 4

Herric 5

Herric 6

( Note the discoloration at the top of the images is from a badly placed lamp, not a blemish)

This will be remedied in due course

I cannot find any reference to these illustrations linked to an English text of this title however on the Bibliocuriosa site there is a reference to-

Vatsyayna, Les “Kama Soutra”. Manuel d’érotologie hindoue. Nouvelle édition, conforme à la traduction d’Isidore Liseux, précédée d’une introduction et augmentée de notes inédites, relatives à la physiologie sexuelle, par Helpey, bibliographe poitevin [ Perceau, Louis ], Jean Fort, 1925. 6 illustrations de Hérouard, Chéri.

I have no way of knowing if they are the same illustrations as the link is not linked to an item in the “Bibliocuriosa” collection, so they have not seen a copy.

Any questions or information about this title please complete a contact form.

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Bookcase Archive: RESTIF DE LA BRETONNE, Nicolas Edme (RETIF DE LA BRETONNE): LA DUCHESSE OU LA FEMME SYLPHIDE . Edité par Aux dépens de quelques bibliophiles, s.d. (1948), 1948

December 19, 2020October 11, 2024 / Steve M. / Leave a comment

A rather beautiful and rare clandestine title, very little research material on this one, and the only other copy that I can locate is one for sale elsewhere, in which the description is a mass of confusing detail, leaving unclear which part of the small limitation the book in question belongs to, however from that listing it appears that the sanguine illustrations are without the so called artists remarks, therefore it is not in the smaller limitations and therefore must be, a copy from the general run. A detail of the limitation page would have clarified this matter. Dutel lists it at No. 1441, in his “Bibliographie des ouvrages érotiques publiés clandestinement en français entre 1920 et 1970”. No credit as to artist or publisher.

THIS BOOK:

Title Page

LA DUCHESSE OU LA FEMME SYLPHIDE
RESTIF DE LA BRETONNE, Nicolas Edme (RETIF DE LA BRETONNE).
Edité par Aux dépens de quelques bibliophiles, s.d. (1948).

Rebound in luxury boards, in red leather over marbled boards, author, title and erotic motif in gilt on spine, binding is stamped (signed) in gilt “N. Corréaud”. The original covers are bound in. 122 +2 pages, + 4 plates refused for the the edition, + limitation page. (23.5 x 28.5 in binding) This copy being number 38 in the limitation 21-50, containing 20 colour illustration (one of these in text) and 24 in sanguine including the 4 refused, all of which bear the artists remarque, a small illustration embellishing each of the sanguine plates. There is some rubbing to the binding at the front edge. some minor spotting at the endpapers, and light finger marking on illustration pages.

All the main illustration are in facing pairs each pair being one in sanguine and one in colour of the same scene. However listed here as individual, one above the other. The scans were achieved with a Czur overhead scanner which allows for open book scanning, with software that corrects curvature and separates facing pages, I would not be able to present the book without this device as it is too large for flatbed scanning.

Original Cover

Frontis

Opening

In Text

Sample Text

3rd Pair

Sample Text

4th Pair

5th Pair

6th Pair

6th pair

7th pair

8th pair

9th pair

10th pair

11th pair

12th pair

13th pair

14th pair

15th pair

16th pair

17th pair

18th pair

19th pair

20th pair

Refused 1

Refused 2

Refused 3

Refused 4

Limitation

Binding Front

Binding Back

Serious enquiries only please. To offer information, ask questions please complete the Contact Form.

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Bookcase Archive: SIRE DE CHAMBLEY (Edmond HARAUCOURT), La Légende des Sexes. Poèmes hystériques. Bruxelles, Pour l’auteur, (vers 1923)

November 25, 2020October 19, 2024 / Steve M. / 1 Comment

This Book

Something of an oddity, but nevertheless an interesting edition of this title originally published in 1882(3), this 1923 clandestine edition, is accompanied by a suite of 16 illustrations specific to this edition by Nicolas Sternberg, and a selection of illustrations from earlier editions, 5 by Van Maele, from the Carrington edition of 1908, a frontispiece by Rops from the 1921 edition and 5 by Bayros, from a source I cannot identify. This book differs from other copies in that the illustrations are hand coloured. Altogether a rare and interesting edition of this erotica.

Title Page

SIRE DE CHAMBLEY (Edmond HARAUCOURT), La Légende des Sexes. Poèmes hystériques. Bruxelles, Pour l’auteur, (vers 1923). In-4, 143-(3) pp. et (27) planches libres, broché (manque de papier en tête du dos). Tirage limité à 380 exemplaires, ici un des 350 Hollande vergé (non justifié). Complet des 27 planches érotiques d’après Félicien Rops, Martin Van Maele, Nicolas Sternberg et Franz Von Bayros, dont 24 coloriées à la main et une dont le coloris n’est pas fini. * Dutel 1840.

This Book: In original publishers card covers printed in blue and black (28.5 x 19 cm)143-(3) pp. and (27) loose illustrations, paperback (lack of paper at the head of the spine). Draw limited to 380 copies, here one of the 350 Holland (unjustified). Complete with the 27 erotic plates after Félicien Rops(1), Martin Van Maele(5), Nicolas Sternberg(16) and Franz Von Bayros(5), including 24 hand-coloured and one whose colour is not finished. Dutel 1840.

Front Cover

Back Cover

Sternberg 1

Sternberg 2

Sternberg 3

Sternberg 4

Sternberg 5

Sample Text

Sternberg 6

Sternberg 7

Sternberg 8

Sternberg 9

Sternberg 10

Sternberg 11

Sternberg 12

Sternberg 13

Sternberg 14

Sternberg 15

Sternberg 16

Van Maele 1

Van Maele 2

Van Maele 3

Van Maele 4

Van Maele 5

Bayros 1

Bayros 2

Bayros 3

Bayros 4

Bayros 5

Rops 1

Limitation

Books For trade: Guillaume, APOLLINAIRE: Les Onze Mille Verges : les amours d’un hospodar, Edité par Bruxelles (1942)

Bookcase Archive: QU’EN PENSEZ-VOUS? n.p., n.d. [c.1958] Clandestine Publication(Losfeld)

September 27, 2020October 25, 2024 / Steve M. / Leave a comment

This Book

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.

Scissors and Paste Losfeld

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.

Cover

illustration 1

illustrations 2 & 3

illustrations 4 & 5

illustration 6

illustrations 7 & 8

illustrations 9 & 10

illustrations 11 & 12

illustrations 13 & 14

illustrations 15 & 16

illustrations 17 & 18

illustrations 19 & 20

illustration 21

Books for trade: VERGERIE, Jean, pseud. – Histoire de Priska. Éditions de la Hippogriffe (Losfeld) [c. 1955]

Books for Trade: Les Vices de l’Ange: Hervé Lavenue (Isidore Isou) np (Losfeld) Achievé d’imprimer le 4 Novembre 1949 a Campo-Santo Italie (c;1958)

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Bookcase Archive: Claude de LAUNIES; CROISIÈRE AMOUREUSE, EO, New-York – Paris, Sous le signe du grand écart, s.d. [Paris, Maurice Duflou, vers 1937]

September 21, 2020October 11, 2024 / Steve M. / Leave a comment

This Book

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

Front Cover

back cover

Chapter heading

illustration 1

Chapter ending

sample text

illustration 2

illustration 3

Sample Text

illustration 4

Sample text

Sample Text

illustration 5

sample text

illustration 6

Sample Text

illustration 7

illustration 8

illustration 9

Sample text

illustration 10

illustration 11

Sample text

illustration 12

LINK:

Scissors and Paste. Duflou Bibliography

Note from Duflou bibliography:

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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Bookcase Archive: Pierre Louys: ‎Manuel de civilité pour les petites filles à l’usage des maisons d’éducation.‎ n.p. Londres (Nice) MCMXLVIII, 1938.

September 15, 2020October 11, 2024 / Steve M. / Leave a comment

This Book

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.

Cover

Sample Text

Illustration 1

Sample Text

Illustration 2

Illustration 3

Sample Text

Illustration 4

illustration 5

illustration 6

illustration 7

illustration 8

illustration 9

illustration 10

illustration 11

illustration 12

Limitation Page

Links:

Pierre Louys (Patrick Kearney)

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Bookcase Archive: GAUTIER, Théophile. – Lettres à la Présidente et galanteries poétiques.Neuilly [Paris]: éditions du Musée secret [?Maurice Duflou], 1927.

August 19, 2020October 12, 2024 / Steve M. / Leave a comment

This Book

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).

Scissors and Paste. Perceau List item 23

Binding

Original Cover

Limitation

Frontis

Sample Text

Mme Sabatier

Letttres a la Presidente

The Illustrations by Viset

Viset 1

Viset 2

Viset 3

Viset 4

Viset 5

Viset 6

Viset 7

Viset 8

Viset 9

Viset 10

Viset 11

Preserved spine

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