Books for Sale: MERLIN the Paris quarterly, No. 7 [Vol.2, number 4, Spring/Summer 1955]

June 13, 2020June 13, 2020 / Steve M. / Leave a comment

MERLIN
The first issue of Merlin—initially subtitled A collection of Contemporary Writings was published in the Spring of 1952. It was edited by Alexander Trocchi, and published by his American girl friend Alice Jane Lougee. Five further issues under this editor/publisher combination would follow. The seventh and final issue was published by the Olympia Press, described in detail below.

2.7.1 MERLIN No. 7 [Vol.2, number 4, Spring/Summer 1955]

[On the left, at head of page in l.c. and large type:] merlin | [at left, below title and in small type:] revue trimestrielle | founded by Alice Jane Lougee | EDITORS [on the right, one name below the other:] Alexander Trocchi | Austryn Wainhouse | [on the left:] COMMITTEE [on the right, one name below the other:] PatrickBowles | W. Baird Bryant | Corneille | Robert Creeley | Ben Johnson | Richard Seaver | Shinkichi Tajiri | [on the left:] EDITORIAL ADDRESS [on the right:] The English Bookshop | 42, Rue de Seine, Paris-6e | [on the left:] PUBLISHER [on the right:] The Olympia Press | 8, Rue de Nesle, Paris-6e | [in centre of page:] contents | [in two columns, each line separated after the page number by a continuous vertical rule:] Michel de M‘Uzan 233 THREE TALES | Pablo Neruda 242 TWENTY LOVE POEMS | Austryn Wainhouse 259 SOME BASIC PRINCIPLES OF HUMAN | ENGINEERING AND REFLEXIONS UPON | AN EROTIC BOOK | Jaap Mooy [no page numbers] FOUR ILLUMINATIONS | Cleveland Moffett 274 PHEIDIPPIDES | Alain Clément 281 FRANCE AS SEEN BY THE GERMANS | Lennart Olson [no page numbers] FOUR PHOTOGRAPHS | Alister Kershaw 298 ALDINGTON’S CRITICS | Christopher Logue 301 GRAHAM’S NIGHTFISHING | Richard Gibson 303 CURZIO MALAPARTE : | THE VISION OF DEFEAT | [below Contents, and centered on columns above:] line drawings by WILLIAM PARKER| spring 1955 summer | [at foot of page, left:] MERLIN IS PRINTED IN FRANCE [at foot of page, right:] vol. 2 no. [in large type] 4

Collation: 80 pp. No signatures, but [1-5]8, with the numeration of the pages following on from previous issues of the periodical. Two double leaves on coated photographic paper (comprising photographs by Jaap Mooy and Lennart Olson) are inserted between pp. 260,261 & 276,277 and between pp. 292,293 & following p. 308. 24 x 15.4 cm., all edges trimmed. Printed on white wove paper.

Contents: p. [229], untitled note signed The Editors. p. [230], two half-page advertisements, the upper for two novels published by Plon and the lower for the Paris Review. p. [231], title, as above. p. [232], three advertisements, one across the top of the page for James Broughton’s An Almanac for Amorists, and the other two, side-by-side below, for, on the right, Sartre’s revue mensuelle Les Temps modernes and, on the left, for The English Bookshop. pp. 233-241,

Three Tales by Michel de M’Uzan, translated by Philip Oxman. pp. 242-258, Twenty Love Poems by Pablo Neruda, translated by Patrick Bowles and Christopher Logue. pp. 259-273, Some Basic Principles Of Human Engineering And Reflexions Upon An Erotic Book by Austryn Wainhouse. pp. 274-280, Pheidippides by Cleveland Moffett. pp. 281-298, France as Seen by the Germans by Alain Clément. Clément’s piece is referred to at the head of p. 281 as Chronicles. pp. 298-308 are printed in two columns and a smaller typeface, and comprise three pieces described as Notes: Aldington‘s Critics by Alister Kershaw (pp. 298-301). Graham‘s Nightfishing by Christopher Logue (pp. 301-303). Curzio Malaparte: The Vision of Defeat by Richard Gibson (pp. 303-308). Drawings by William Parker appear on pp. 234, 243, 249, 258, 273, 274, & 280. Advertisements appear on pp. 299 (Les Editions de Minuit), 301 (Obelisk Press), 303 (Hedyphagetica, by Austryn Wainhouse), 304

(Christopher Logues The Weekdream Sonnets, published by Jack Straw), 30(Collection Merlin/Olympia Press, and Samuel Beckett’s Molloy specifically) and 308 (Merlin).

Binding: Printed card wrappers, with orange front and spine, spilling over to a 1-inch band on back. Remainder of back wrapper is white. Front cover: [centred at head in white l.c. large type:] merlin | [centred below title in smaller l.c. type:] the paris quarterly | [at foot, slightly to the left, and in orange within a thin white panel:] 75 c [space] 3/- [space] 250fr. [At foot and to the right, in orange within a larger and oblong white panel:] no [large] 4 | [small] vol 2.

Spine: [at top of spine, reading down in widely-spaced white l.c.:] merlin. [At foot of spine, reading down in orange type within white panel:] 4/2. Back cover: [at foot and to the right of white section:] SOCIETE D’IMPRESSIONS PUBLICITAIRES | 75, Rue Alexis Pesnon MONTREUIL | Tel. : AVR. 12-53.

The inside front wrapper carries an advertisement for Merlin comprising lists of contributions promised for later issues and available back issues. The inside back wrapper carries two half-page advertisements, the uppermost for The Western Review, a literary quarterly published by the University of Iowa, and the lower for Lascaux, ou la Naissance de l‘art, an art book with text by Georges Bataille published by Albert Skira.

For detail of all seven volumes see

New into the Collection: MERLIN No. 7 [Vol.2, number 4, Spring/Summer 1955]

Any Questions please leave a comment.

MERLIN the Paris quarterly, No. 7 [Vol.2, number 4, Spring/Summer 1955]

See full description above. Rare item and the only issue actually published by Olympia Press. Overall condition very good. Price includes postage worldwide.

£120.00

Books Currently for Sale.

October 11, 2019 / Steve M. / 10 Comments

Anyone interested in buying, can see items currently for sale on my eBay listing, linked below, I will be adding many more titles as I clear out my collection. Anyone interested in buying direct please complete a contact form.

Books Currently for Sale on eBay

Contact Form

New into the Collection: 2 Teasers and a Catalogue

October 8, 2019October 8, 2019 / Steve M. / 2 Comments

After another long absence, I return with some very rare ephemera from the Paris Olympia Press. Listed here only briefly, I will post more detailed descriptions if there is any interest.

I shall in the coming days post some more illustrated erotica, in particular some material from the now defunct Erotic Print Society.

I am still considering letting my Olympia Press collection go to a new home, but in the mean time I continue to seek the few missing items.

The New Paris Teaser

The New Stripteaser

Olympia Press Catalogue 1960

The above items are all rare, but none so rare as the New Stripteaser, no copy has ever been in any of the major collections, and at the time the last bibliography as released, it was only identified as having been mentioned in a catalogue.

The Burroughs 1960 catalogue, is now a rarity because of the Burroughs connection.

I am still seeking 2 Teasers, “The Paris Teaser” and “Paris Exotique”, the English and French versions of the same publication.

New into the Collection: The Olympia Press of Paris- the Publisher who Defeated Censorship. Catalogue 1962 (and one other)

May 10, 2019 / Steve M. / Leave a comment

As I have often mentioned before, the ephemera is the biggest challenge in trying to complete a collection. I am always delighted to find a catalogue. This one used to be quite common. I am always happy to be offered any similar items.

Below is a variant of the 1956 catalogue, with a link to my original listing. Same item but a different colour banner, orange instead of purple.

New into the Collection: More Curious Books and Amusements (catalogue) Summer and Autumn 1956

New into the Collection: Olympia Books 1957 (Catalogue)

New into the Collection: A List of Ophelia Press Titles and Others 1959 (Catalogue)

New into the collection: On the Old Theme of Literature & Censorship with A List of Olympia Press Titles and Others. Paris Olympia Press 1958

The Collection an Update:

May 10, 2019 / Steve M. / Leave a comment

Having suffered a stroke last year, I was forced to consider what would happen to my collection should I die. A serious enough issue, given tales of shark like dealers descending on the recently bereaved and picking off the prized items from remaining partners who have no idea of what to do with the books, and even less idea of the potential value.

This is especially true of erotica as there is an understandable embarrassment, attached to such material, especially illustrated books, and I have heard of some such material being destroyed to avoid having to deal with it, and though this is perhaps the best disposal for modern pornography, this is less of a problem with my Paris Olympia Press collection as they are 99% without illustrations.

Having explored possible methods of disposal, I had been in negotiation with Bonhams of London with a view to the collection going to auction this June, when a combination of my own health issues and an extended family crisis prevented me from cataloguing the books, a task that Bonhams offered to cover, but I really wanted to complete myself.

So i find myself delaying the selling of the collection, and almost immediately other items turn up, within the past month or so, I have obtained a catalogue that I do not have a copy of, one of the missing Teaser magazines and a much improved copy of “The Castle of the end of Love”, a very hard to find Ophelia Press title.

I must admit to a sense of relief at still having the collection, as after so many decades of collecting the loss would be hard to take. It my be that I will reconsider next year, which gives me more time to locate the few missing items that would allow me to complete. Which also means that I will continue with this site, given that its sworn purpose is to assist with completing my Paris Olympia collection, something that is easy to forget, given that the vast majority of the books that I list are nothing to do with the Olympia Press at all.

So to give me a reason to carry on, please remember to look out for Paris Olympia material for me. And if you have any erotica (not photographic pornography please) that you want rid of then complete a contact form and I may be able to assist.

Below is an image of my Paris Olympia Press collection as of today. Coming soon recent finds and some very rare illustrated erotica.

CONTACT FORM

See Also

Books Wanted Ephemera: The Teasers.

Books Wanted:- MELTING [Dissolving] Travellers Companion Series No 59

Books Wanted: Springtime in Paris, Theobald Lovelace, Ophelia Press Paris

New into the Collection: Paris Olympia Press, Price list and Order form, Spring 1962

October 12, 2018 / Steve M. / Leave a comment

A truly pristine item of ephemera, and a most welcome addition to my collection. This is a perfect example of the material that I am seeking, this one is courtesy of Arcana Cabana in the Netherlands, who kindly agreed to seperate the price list from an edition of Justine, where it had sat between the leaves, untouched for over 50 years. You can view the Arcana Cabana site below.

https://www.arcanacabana.com/erotica.html

Paris Olympia Press, Price list and Order form, Spring 1962.

Printed both sides in black and red on a single sheet of pale yellow card, measuring 27×9 cm. Paris bookshop sticker affixed to base of the form on the verso.

The titles in red are highlighted as new editions due to be published, interestingly, the low number Traveller’s Companion Series titles had been in print since 1955/56, therefore at TC 13 ” The Secret Life of Robinson Crusoe” was formerly entitled “The Sexual Life of Robinson Crusoe”, at TC 29, “Helen and Desire” was actually reissued as “Desire and Helen”, and at TC 40 ” The Organisation” was reissued as “The New Organisation”. Legend has it that the changes in title of these reprints was a ploy to confuse the Brigade Mondaine, who worked to lists of Olympia titles that had been banned in France, but as few, if any of the officials could read English a simple ploy such as above was enough to throw them off the scent.

You can also see that at TC 57, the sixth volume of Juliette was about to be issued, the slot for TC 58 was held vacant,eventually (in 1965) was occupied by “Juliette” volume seven, but at one stage in (catalogue 1958) it had been scheduled fo a TC edition of Becketts” Watt”. The title at TC 90 planned as ” The Sex Life of Ulysses” eventually came out as “A Bedside Odyssey”.

Another anomaly, under the Othello Books series (numbered 111-116), which were all to be published in 1962, at 116, sits “Sextet” by Hume Parkinson, which was not issued in this series, and appears to been passed over in the Danish imprint “Odyssey Library”, where it was supposed to be published in 1963, eventually turning up as TC 94 the last title to be published in the Travellers Companion Series in 1965.

No mention on this list of any of the Ophelia Press titles, which generally appear to have been run as a seperate enterprise the Ophelia titles are generally themed around flagellation and sado masochism which traditionally sat outside of mainstream erotica.

Such a significant amount of information from such a small piece of paper, and perhaps something of an explanation for my fascination, with the Olympia Press ephemera material.

Paris Olympia Press, Price list and Order form, Spring 1962.

Please also See

New into The Collection: Olympia Press 1959 (Catalogue)

Books Wanted Ephemera: The Teasers

The Story of a Bookcase: The Paris Olympia Press Collection 02/10/2018

October 2, 2018October 3, 2018 / Steve M. / Leave a comment

After a long break from the blog, I am back in action more because of circumstances than by plan, but determined to make the most of my enforced idleness, I am updating material related to the collection and still seeking the few items that I do not have. Alongside this I am gathering the rare and obscure and hopefully bizzare items from around the web, to keep the semi-literate amongst you amused.

So just to remind you that the dedicated purpose of this blog is to provide access to information and images from erotica of all types, for free and to people who might not otherwise ever have sight of these books. But the primary purpose is to complete this Paris Olympia Press collection, and now that I need so few book titles, i am very keen to find the ephemera, for example catalogues, flyers, communication on headed paper, busines cards or anything associated with The Paris Olympia Press. l regularly update on new material coming into the collection, and list items that I am looking for under Books Wanted.

Here is an image of the collection in its latest state, please keep looking, If you have an item that you think might be of interest please use the contact form to get in touch.

Books Wanted Ephemera: The Teasers.

Books Wanted: Springtime in Paris, Theobald Lovelace, Ophelia Press Paris

Books Wanted:- MELTING [Dissolving] Travellers Companion Series No 59

New into the collection: On the Old Theme of Literature & Censorship with A List of Olympia Press Titles and Others. Paris Olympia Press 1958

September 30, 2018October 1, 2018 / Steve M. / Leave a comment

Another great rarity and a very welcome addition to my collection, this was very kindly gifted to me earlier this year and arrived unexpectedly on my Birthday, the donor was John Mc Leish of Glasgow, who informed me that this item was formerly in the collection of Gershon Legman. I have had copy of this title before and the one referenced in the Bibliography as in the collection of Angus Carrol actually originated with me. Pat Kearneys speculation that the two items were stapled together at a later date is an error , as evidenced by this copy which has the same side stapled condition. I am tempted to separate the two pamphlets as the catalogue is of significant interest as it lists Beckett’s “Watt” at number 58 in the Traveller’s Companion Series, which never happened, I attempted to communicate this to a fellow collector who is convinced he has seen a copy of this TC Watt.but i have as yet had no response.

For now you will just have to settle for the limited images posted here as I do not want yet to seperate the two, and risk damaging either. Although it would be interesting to copy the catalogue in full, this will have to wait until I pluck up courage to carry out the operation, currently with only one reliable hand such a delicate task is at the moment beyond me.

On the Old Theme of Literature & Censorship with A List of Olympia Press Titles and Others. Paris Olympia Press 1958

The bibliographical information below is provided courtesy of Patrick Kearney, The Paris Olympia Press, Liverpool University Press 2007.

MY NOTE: The catalogue is dated MXMLV11 (1957) on the cover, it references Imp Mazarine as the printer but has no print details.

14.7.1 1958. On the Old Theme of Literature & Censorship. – 17.4 x 8.8 cm. Printed on white wove paper. A dated pamphlet of 32 pages, incl. plain typographical wrappers. A curious publication comprising for the most part extracts from the minutes of the Select Committee on the Obscene Publications Bill, which had been published by the British Government in1957. Printed by Impr. Mazarine, Paris.
Notes: It is doubtful that Girodias would issue a pamphlet of this sort unaccompanied by a sale catalogue or price list for his publications. A copy in Angus Carrollřs collection is stapled together with the item following (14.8.1). Whether the two were issued together as a single unit is uncertain. Despite being the same size and having the same date and printer, each is printed on a different coloured paper and they are connected awkwardly with two staples driven through the side. The possibility exists, however, that they were issued together but became separated, and were badly reunited by a later collector.

14.8.1 1958. A List of Olympia Press Titles and Others. 17.4 x 8.8 cm. Printed on pale blue wove paper. 24 pp. including plain typographical wrappers. Extracts from, or write-ups of, a number of Travellerřs Companion and Ophelia Press titles. There is a 2-page price list and order form, advertisements for German editions of Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn and Querelle de Brest. There are also advertisements for L‘Erotisme au cinema and Technique de l‘erotisme by the prolific Giuseppe Maria Lo Duca. These illustrated works were actually published by Jean-Jacques Pauvert, but apparently distributed in some way by the Olympia Press. Printed by Impr. Mazarine, Paris.
Notes: Possibly issued to accompany a 32-page pamphlet called On the Old Theme of Literature & Censorship, reprinting extracts from the minutes of the Select Committee on the Obscene Publications Bill, which had been published by the British Government in 1957. See item 14.7.1, above.

Also see

New into the Collection: Prospectus for ‘Watt’ a novel in English by Samuel Beckett. Collection Merlin 1953.

New into the Collection: THE GINGER MAN J. P. Donleavy, 1958 The Paris Olympia Press in dust-jacket with original flaps.

New Into The Collection: AN ALMANAC FOR AMORISTS James Broughton, 1955, Unique copy.

September 30, 2018October 3, 2018 / Steve M. / Leave a comment

This small volume has been listed on book sites for some considerable time, and was of no particular interest to me until I relised that from the description and photograph of the cover that this was likely to be the edition with colour illustrations, this from the knowledge that, the numbered edition has blue wraps and the unnumbered edition has pink wraps, this copy has a cream wrapper and was therefore likely to be the Alphabetical limitation, and so it turned out to be, but with a very sweet reward attached. Iinclude the booksellers listing, to assist with the story, and offer my profound thanks to Keogh Books, for this unique addition to my collection.

An Almanac for Amorists

by Broughton, James

Condition: , covers slightly sunned and with some loss at lower fore-edge of front cover, internally clean, book in good condition

, 38 pages, SIGNED and dedicated to Daphne Hunter from the author, and with photo of author at the front, Daphne Hunter starred in the 1953 film ‘The Pleasure Garden (directed by James Broughton) alongside the actor and illustrator Kermit Sheets, who illustrated this book.

Rare opportunity to se the delicately coloured illustrations , and so please see below. Apart from the additional material hand written by the author, for the collector, the format is slightly larger than the other editions and the illustrations are hand coloured, This copy is a unique alphabetical limitation 26 on Vélin d’Arches, | numbered A to Z; = 26¾ – Z³ ,see image for detail. The bibliographical information displayed below the images is courtesy of Patrick Kearney The Paris Olympia Press, Liverpool University Press 2007.

AN ALMANAC FOR AMORISTS James Broughton, 1955

2.6.1 AN ALMANAC FOR AMORISTS James Broughton, 1955

[Within a drawing of a pedestal, with three steps leading to summit, and surmounted by two pillars supporting a narrow, flat roof. In front of left pillar, the figure of a naked man, with a naked woman in front of right pillar. In one hand the woman carries a sign bearing the author‘s name; both figures support a banner with the title on it. The name of the Paris publisher, and place and date of publication are printed on the steps.] [In fancy lettering: ] JAMES BROUGHTON
| AN | ALMANAC | FOR | AMORISTS | [design of bird in flight ] | COLLECTION | MERLIN | PARIS 1955 |

Binding: White wrappers, printed in black, overlapping on fore-edge and trimmed flush top and bottom. On front cover, a drawing of a naked man and woman, viewed from behind, holding a banner on which is written in fancy lettering AN | ALMANAC | FOR | AMORISTS. At foot of drawing is a narrow banderole bearing the author’s name. Printed down spine: James Broughton [-] AN ALMANAC FOR AMORISTS [-] Merlin. The back cover is blank.

Notes: (1) There are three Olympia Press issues of this printing: (a) The first issue, 26 copies on Velin d‟Arches lettered A to Z; (b) the second issue, 150 copies on Pur chiffon numbered 1 to 150; and (c) the third issue, 500 trade copies, unnumbered, as indicated at the end of the book. (2) There are known copies of the third issue (on Offset supérieur) which have added on the title page at the bottom either HALCYON PRESS LONDON or GROVE PRESS NEW YORK. It is unknown if these copies are part of the original 500 printed by the Olympia Press or if more were printed to accommodate these additional sub-issues. Both the Halcyon Press andeditions have a pink dustjacket,identical in design to the wrappers except that the name „Merlin‟ on the spine is replaced with the name „Halcyon‟ or „Grove‟ The inside flap of the front wrapper gives some critical comment on Broughton‟s work, the address of the English publisher or distributor (Halcyon Press, 15 New Row, London, W.C.2) or the American publisher or distributor (Grove Press, 795 Broadway, New York City 3), and the price of the volume, 4s 6d or $1, repsectively. The inside flap of the back wrapper, and the back wrapper itself, are both blank. (3) The printing of this work would seem to have been done by Bronislaw Kaminski, aka Bruno Durocher, who was also responsible for some reprints for the Olympia Press, and for The Castle of the End of Love, the unofficial first Ophelia Press title.His Éditions Caractères had a number of subsidiary imprints, including L‟Imprimerie des Poètes.

See Also

Books Wanted Ephemera: The Teasers.

Books Wanted: Springtime in Paris, Theobald Lovelace, Ophelia Press Paris

Books Wanted:- MELTING [Dissolving] Travellers Companion Series No 59

Books Wanted: All Ephemera related to The Paris Olympia Press

New into the Collection: Prospectus for ‘Watt’ a novel in English by Samuel Beckett. Collection Merlin 1953.

October 13, 2017October 13, 2017 / Steve M. / 1 Comment

For me this is exactly what I have been looking for, in a very good year for extremely rare items to complete my collection, here is one item that is amazing to find, and is the real justification for this Blog.

Prospectus for ‘Watt’ a novel in English by Samuel Beckett. Collection Merlin 1953. 12mo. Single sheet prospectus. Fine condition.

New into The Collection:AMOROUS EXPLOITS OF A YOUNG RAKEHELL. Guillaume Apollinaire, The Olympia Press June1953

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