Micro photo of an etching:
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Softcover, 257 x 168 mm, publisher’s cream French flapped wrappers with red lettering to front in a beige double slipcase, printed on wove paper watermarked “Marais” in italic script; edges untrimmed; pp.: [8] [2] [1] 2-130 [131] [3]; collated 4to as 184, 72 leaves incl. those in the wrappers, plus 9 photomechanical stencil-coloured plates extraneous to collation and 9 b/w headpieces (in-text etchings) after anonymous artist. According to the seller and J.-P. Dutel: “In-8 of 130 pages... Illustrated with 10 full-page in colour and some headbands. Limited edition of 500 copies on vélin du Marais". Title-page (red and black): GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE | LES | ONZE MILLE VERGES | OU | LES AMOURS D'UN HOSPODAR | BRUXELLES | 1942 || Limitation: Il a été tiré de cet ouvrage réservé uniquement aux souscripteurs particuliers 500 exemplaires tous sur vélin du marais. Exemplaire n° 147. Edition: The clandestine edition on vélin de Marais paper limited to 500 copies for subscribers only; this copy is № 147. Catalogue raisonné: Dutel III № 2109. In my copy, similarly to the one of STEVE M., it is only 9 colour plates, while Dutel sites 10. Author: Guillaume Apollinaire (French, 1880 – 1918). Micro photo of a colour plate:
Micro photo of an etching:
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Softcover, 258 x 166 mm, publisher’s olive French flapped wrappers in owner’s glassine dustcover, edges untrimmed, some pages uncut, printed on thick wove paper with watermark “Hollande van Gelder Zonen”, in a slipcase. Pp.: [1-10] 11-129 [5], pages in wrappers included in the count, total 67 leaves; two-tone woodcuts by Jean-Gabriel Daragnès within the pagination. Title-page (red and black, in a double-fillet frame): PAUL VERLAINE | femmes | ÉDITION ORNÉE | DE TRENTE ET UNE | GRAVURES S/ BOIS | {vignette} | (under the bottom frame) PARIS | 1917 | {red triangle} || Limitation: Il a été tiré de cet ouvrage : 11 15 Exemplaires sur vieux papier de Japon numérotés de I à XV; 15 20 Exemplaires sur papier de Chine numérotés de XVI à XXXV; auxquels on a joint une suite des fumés sur même papier. 250 Exemplaires sur papier vélin de Hollande Van Gelder Zonen numérotés de 1 à 250. Après le tirage les bois ont été détruits. № 1. Numbers “15” and “20” corrected manually by Daragnès (per Dutel). This is copy № 1 of vélin de Hollande print run. Catalogue raisonné: Dutel II: № 295; Nordmann II № 544. Seller’s description: Un volume broché in-8° sous couverture illustrée et rempliée. Etui cartonné. Illustré de 31 gravures sur bois en camaïeu, attribuées à DARAGNES, la plupart très libres, dont 18 à pleine page. Tiré à [226 ou 285] ex. numérotés. 1 des [200 ou 250] sur Hollande Van Gelder Zonen. Le nôtre porte le n°1. (Dutel : 295. Pia : 501. Carteret : IV, 392 : Belle édition rare, très estimée ». Monod : 11086). Dorgelès commenta ainsi ces illustrations : « Dans ces nus voluptueux et tragiques, qui semblent à la fois s’aimer et se haïr, on retrouve la même frénésie amère qui tourmente les poèmes interdits de Verlaine » (in Catalogue de livres... Daragnès, Drouot 1924, n°55). Très rares rousseurs. TRES BON EXEMPLAIRE, toujours recherché. Contributors: Paul Verlaine (French, 1844 – 1896) – author. Jean-Gabriel Daragnès (French, 1886 – 1950) – artist/publisher. -
Two volumes, 168 x 106 mm each, uniformly bound in faux mottled calf ruled in gilt, marbled endpapers. Vol. 1: 3 blank leaves of wove paper, 3 blank leaves of laid paper, half-title/blank, blank/frontispiece, ‘engraved’ t.p./blank, both printed on laid paper watermarked “ARCHES A LA | MAIN”; ‘letterpress’ t.p.,/blank, pp.: [1] 2-115 [116 blank], 3 blank leaves of laid paper, 3 blank leaves of wove paper; collated 12mo: π2 A-I6 K4; total 60 leaves plus 16 ‘engraved’ plates, incl. t.p. and frontis. Vol. 2: 3 blank leaves of wove paper, 3 blank leaves of laid paper, half-title/blank, blank/frontispiece, ‘engraved’ t.p./blank, no watermark, ‘letterpress’ t.p.,/blank, pp.: 1-77 [78 blank], 2 blank leaves of laid paper, 3 blank leaves of wove paper; collated 12mo: π2 A-F6 G3; total 41 leaves plus 24 ‘engraved’ plates, incl. t.p. and frontis. Dutel (I): A-1089, p. 325: in-8 (probably by size only, no formula suggested), pagination 115 and 77 as here, 2 frontispieces, 2 engraved titles dated 1873, “et 36 belles gravures de Binet”. Cohen-DeRicci: p. 734 bottom: in-12, no pagination, no formula. "Thérèse" was offered by a French seller user-75d14f4 on the online auction platform CATAWIKI in December 2021. The seller's description of this two-volume set was: "Re-edition, the date of which I was unable to determine. (London, no name, 1782) 2 duodecimo volumes of 115 and 77 pp., very lovely marbled sheepskin pastiche bindings, gilded triple fillets, adorned spines, black title labels. This classic of 18th-century clandestine erotica was written in 1748 by an author who has remained anonymous, attributed at the time to Montigny, which led to his internment in the Bastille. It is now attributed to the Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d'Argens. Edition illustrated with 37 very unrestrained figures, engraved in intaglio after Borel, unsigned." I should have paid more attention to the first phase, about the re-edition, but I didn't. After a few bidding rounds, I won the book when the hammer price was 2,200 Euros. On the 28th of December, 2021, I paid for this little beauty $2,760. The book arrived a few days later. The paper's quality and texture, the watermark, the absence of the platemark, and the lack of embossing on the back (text and plates) made me suspect it was a fake. The pages were absolutely flat to the touch! I established clear evidence of a high-resolution 'xerox' copy using Celestron Micro Capture Pro micro-photography. I wrote to the seller and the auction platform, explaining my doubts regarding its authenticity. To prove my point, I include a few micro photos of the "Thérèse" and some books printed at the end of the 18th century. I explained why I considered it a fake and requested a return/refund. After two months of email exchanges, the seller and the platform refused to pay me back. Today is the 2nd anniversary of the purchase. I still have the book. To celebrate my carelessness, I included it in my library to warn fellow book collectors about buying from an unknown dealer via certain online auction platforms. Ref.: Bamber Gascoigne. How to Identify Prints: A Complete Guide to Manual and Mechanical Processes from Woodcut to Ink. — Thames and Hudson, 1995.
Books used for comparison: [LIB-2743.2021] Restif de la Bretonne. Les parisiennes, ou XL caractères généraux pris dans les mœurs actuelles, propres à servir à l’instruction des personnes-du-sexe / 4 vol. — Neufchâtel, et Paris: Guillot, 1787. [LIB-3027.2022] [Héliodore d’Emèse]. Amours de Théagènes et Chariclée: Histoire Éthiopique / 2 vol. — Londres [i.e. Paris]: [s.n.], 1743. [LIB-3252.2023] [Nicolas Chorier.] Le Meursius françois, ou entretiens galans d’Aloysia, orné de figures. — Cythere [i.e. Paris: Cazin], 1782. Below is a Xerox copy for comparison.Thérèse philosophe, 1783.
Late 18th century books
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Hardcover, 333 x 247 mm, black cloth with gilt facsimile to front board and gilt lettering to spine, aubergine dust jacket with white lettering and red facsimile over black panel to front and back, crimson endpapers, laid paper, unpaginated; pp.: [4] h.t./blank, t.p./imprint, [2] text by John Hollander, 61 leaves of plates; originally published in 1969 by Rhinoceros Press, New York, as a limited-edition portfolio with slipcase. Title-page: Fornicon | (in frame) BY TOMI UNGERER | GROVE PRESS NEW YORK || Jean-Thomas [Tomi] Ungerer (French,1931 – 2019) John Hollander (American, 1929 – 2013) -
Graphite on wove paper, 217 x 284 mm, black ink stamp to verso: “Prof O. R. Schatz | Wien II, Gr. Mohreng 3b | Tel.: 55 82 566”. Unsigned, attributed to Otto Rudolf Schatz (Austrian, 1900 – 1961). -
Watercolour on wove paper, 243 x 161 mm, black ink stamp to verso: “Nachlaß O R SCHATS”. Attributed to Otto Rudolf Schatz (Austrian, 1900 – 1961). -
Drawing on both sides; Pen and wash, india ink, gouache, on cardboard, 225 x 140 mm, black ink stamp to verso: “Nachlaß O R SCHATS”, remnants of hinges. Attributed to Otto Rudolf Schatz (Austrian, 1900 – 1961). -
Watercolour on laid paper, 198 x 225 mm, signed or stamped in orange ink “ORS” to recto [Otto Rudolf Schatz (Austrian, 1900 – 1961)]; black ink stamp: “Nachlaß O R SCHATS”, pencil “ss” in the bottom left corner, and remnants of a hinge on the upper right to verso. -
Pencil, pen and ink wash on india paper, 170 x 228 mm, black ink stamp to verso: “Nachlaß O R SCHATS”. Unsigned, attributed to Otto Rudolf Schatz (Austrian, 1900 – 1961). -
Watercolour on laid paper watermarked “HOLLAND”, 255 x 324 mm, number “10” ms pencil in the upper left corner, remnants of hinges to verso; unsigned. Attributed to Otto Rudolf Schatz (Austrian, 1900 – 1961). -
Watercolour on thick wove paper, unsigned. Attributed to Otto Rudolf Schatz (Austrian, 1900 – 1961). Size: 305 x 212 mm. -
Watercolour on thick wove paper, unsigned. Attributed to Otto Rudolf Schatz (Austrian, 1900 – 1961). Size: 305 x 212 mm. -
Thirteen unnumbered loose leaves 323 x 249 mm, watermarked BFK Rives, with manuscript text and vignettes produced by etching or, more likely, drypoint (see microphoto), incl. title-page, one full-page illustration and two leaves of text only; versos blank. Some leaves have registration marks. The set is housed in a cream French flapped folder (chemise) without lettering; the seller’s description is pasted to the front cover verso, glassine dust cover. Seller’s description: Cette édition in-folio du recueil de poèmes de Louis de Gonzague Frick, inconnue de Jean-Pierre Dutel, qui « a été tirée à 50 exemplaires (...) est certainement la plus rare (et a été) publiée après 1940 sur vélin (BFK) Rives » (cf. Ader, 3 mars 2020, n°155). Exemplaire « de passe », sans justificatif, complet des 13 planches avec 11 eaux-fortes, dont une à pleine page, d'Auguste Brouet. Ref.: According to honesterotica, the first edition was published in 1938 in 65 copies: "The pink Ingres paper and the loose-leaf format tied with a red ribbon". Another source states: "Le tirage a été effectué avec marges, sur papier vélin BFK Rives au format in-4 (32,5 × 25), les planches mesurant 26,5 × 22 cm. Certains exemplaires sont sur papier blanc - Je remercie le libraire qui a pris la peine de me communiquer ces dernières informations. Pour moi, c'est bien l'édition à 65 qui est l'originale, les deux autres étant des retirages légèrement postérieurs, mais dans le détail desquels le principe de l’œuvre - un manuscrit destiné à quelques amis de l'auteur - a été quelque peu trahi." Contributors: Louis de Gonzague Frick (French, 1883 – 1958) Auguste Brouet (French, 1872 – 1941) -
Hardcover volume, 12mo, 125 x 85 mm, two parts in one, bound and gilded by Cuzin and Maillard, respectively, between 1876 and 1881, in crimson crushed morocco with raised bands and gilt lettering to spine, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt, gilt dentelle, signed 'Cuzin' to foot of front turn-in and 'Maillard dor.' to rear. Adorned with engraved frontispiece and 12 plates by Elluin after Borel. Text printed on a slightly bluish paper. Title-page: LE | MEURSIUS FRANÇOIS, | OU | ENTRETIENS GALANS | D'ALOYSIA. | ORNÉ | DE FIGURES. | — | TOME PREMIER (SECOND) | — | ✵ | A CYTHERE | — | M. DCC. LXXXII. || Collation: 12mo, π4 (2 blanks) A-Z6 χ1,+ π2 A-S6 (4 blanks) χ1, total 254 leaves; pagination: [8] [1] 2-277 [278 blank], [4] [1] 2-210 [8 blanks], total 508 pages, plus 13 engraved plates, incl. frontispiece. Catalogue raisonné: Cohen-de Ricci 240; Eros invaincu 17; Fekete 51; Nordmann (I) 91. Contributors: Nicolas Chorier (French, 1612 – 1692) – author. Antoine Borel (French, 1743 – 1810) – artist. François-Rolland Elluin (French, 1745 – c. 1822) – engraver. Hubert-Martin Cazin (French, 1724 – 1795) – publisher. Francisque Cuzin (French, 1836 – 1890) – bookbinder. Seller’s description: Erotica.- [Chorier (Nicolas)]Le Meursius François, ou Entretiens galans d'Aloysia, 2 parts in 1, half-title to each part, engraved frontispiece and 12 plates [by Elluin after Borel], handsomely bound in crimson crushed morocco by Cuzin, spine with gilt lettering and five raised bands, gilt tooled turn-ins by Maillard, signed 'Cuzin' to foot of front turn-in and 'Maillard dor.' to rear, marbled endpapers, g.e., fractional rubbing to extremities, an excellent copy, 12mo, Cythere [but Paris], [Cazin], 1782. -
Hardcover volume, collated 18mo, 130 x 85 mm (2 parts in one). Contemporary burgundy morocco outlined with gilt triple fillet, flat spine gilt in compartments, brown morocco label gilt, all edges gilt, gilt dentelle, text printed on slightly blue laid paper with illegible watermark; dark blue endpapers, Tony Fekete (T. F.) bookplate by Wahorn to front pastedown. Frontispiece and 14 engraved plates by Elluin after Borel, with guard tissue. Graphite ms to h.t.: "Figures de Borrel. | Gravées pr. Elluin." Title-page: NOUVELLE TRADUCTION | DE | WOMAN OF PLEASUR, | OU | FILLE DE JOIE. | PAR M. CLELAND, | CONTENANT les Mémoires | de Mademoiselle FANNY, | écrits par elle – même. | AVEC FIGURES | — | PREMIERE (SECONDE) PARTIE. | — | ~ | A LONDRES; | Chez G. FENTON, dans le Strand; | — | M. DCC. LXXVI. || Collation: 18mo throughout A-O12/6, total 126 leaves plus 15 plates, incl. frontispiece. Pagination: separate for each part [1-5] 6-119 [120 blank], [1-3] 4-132, total 252 pages. Provenance: Tony Fekete (Christie’s 2014, № 54, p. 37; Price realized GBP 11,875): “[CLELAND, John (1709-1789).] Nouvelle traduction de Woman of Pleasur [sic] ou Fille de Joie. Contenant les Mémoires de Mademoiselle Fanny, écrits par elle-même. London [but Paris]: G. Fenton [Cazin], 1776. 2 volumes in one, duodecimo (128 x 80 mm). Printed on blue tinted paper. Frontispiece and 14 engraved plates on thick white paper by Elluin after Borel. (Short tear repaired in the margin of one plate, another plate with a faint dampstain touching the facing leaf of text.) Contemporary burgundy morocco, flat spine gilt in compartments, morocco label gilt, covers with a gilt triple fillet border, gilt edges, blue endpapers. THE MOST BEAUTIFUL 18TH-CENTURY ILLUSTRATED EDITION OF THIS CELEBRATED EROTIC NOVEL. An excellent copy bound in contemporary morocco. It is the second translation into French, but the first to include the exquisite plates by Elluin after Borel. These are some of the best illustrations by this remarkable partnership responsible for a number of important 18th-century libertine texts. Cohen-DeRicci 242-3; Dutel A-407 ; Gay-Lemonnyer II, 304; Pia Enfer, 915.” Catalogue raisonné: Dutel (I) A-407, p. 134; Cohen-DeRicci 242-3; Fekete (Christie's) 54, p. 37. Contributors: John Cleland (British, c. 1709 – 1789). François-Rolland Elluin (French, 1745 – c. 1822) Antoine Borel (French, 1743 – 1810) Hubert-Martin Cazin (French, 1724 – 1795) András Wahorn (Hungarian, b. 1953) Fekete, Tony Laszlo (Hungarian, b. 1972) -
A portfolio of nine heliogravures after Jules Pascin. Cloth-backed cardboard portfolio 420 x 335 mm with 9 heliogravures on slightly tinted india paper, each numbered in pencil and mounted into a passe-partout 410 x 318 mm. Copy № 25 out of 40 printed on india (chine) paper. Copy № 25 of 40. Title (red and black): EROTIKON | PAR | PASCIN | ★ | BRUXELLES | MCMXXXIII || Limitation: CET | ALBUM | A ÉTÉ TIRÉ | A | QUARANTE ET UN EXEMPLAIRES | NUMÉROTÉS | DONT | UN EX. SUR PAPIER ANCIEN | & | QUARANTE EX. SUR CHINE | No (ms 25/40) || Catalogue raisonné: Dutel III № 1498. Seller's description:Neun Heliogravüren. 1933. Meist ca. 30 : 35 cm. Nummeriert. Exemplar 25/40 (Gesamtauflage 41). – Die Heliogravüren auf leicht getöntem China, jedes Blatt mit Bleistift nummeriert und in Passepartouts montiert. – Die neun Passepartouts eingelegt in zwei Büttenumschläge, einer mit Titel und dem nummerierten Auflagenvermerk, der zweite unbedruckt, ferner Büttenumschlag mit Titel in Rotdruck und Halbleinenchemise. – Die Heliogravüren erschienen 1933, drei Jahre nach Pascins Tod bei Daragnes in Paris mit der fingierten Angabe »Brüssel«. – Das berühmte Mappenwerk bildet eine der großen Seltenheiten der erotischen Kunst. Die Motive Pascins beschreibt das Bilderlexikon als »eine Art ›Boheme-Rokoko im Montmartre-Milieu‹« und lobt den Künstler: »Er ist ein außerordentlicher Zeichner, der es versteht, bei allem Zynismus, der seinen exhibitionistischen Charakter nicht verleugnet, auf diesem Kulturdünger eine neuartige Blume voll graziöser Schönheit erblühen zu lassen.« Mappe: 42 : 33,5 cm. – Der äußere Büttenumschlag mit leichtem Wasserrand. – Zwei Heliogravüren minimal stockfleckig, sonst tadellos und absolut vollständig. Dutel 1498 (mit Auflagenvarianten). – Der kalte Blick S. 198ff. – Bilderlexikon II, 718. -
Two hardcover volumes, 17 x 11.5 cm, collated in-8vo, uniformly bound in dark grey mottled calf bordered with gilt fillet, flat spine with gilt lettering in compartments outlined in gilt; top edge gilt, text and plates printed on dense wove paper (Japanpapier). Privately printed by Gustav Röttig & Sohn (Ödenburg) in 800 copies, of which this is copy № 16, signed by von Bayros in 1st vol. Each volume is illustrated with four heliogravures (title-page and three plates) after drawings by Franz von Bayros. According to the seller, this is one of only 35 copies of the deluxe edition on Japanpapier, a fact which was mentioned by the bibliographers but not in the imprint. Bookplate to front pastedown in each volume, lettering to bottom “Ex libris Dr. phil. Rudolf Ludwig”, 120 x 100 mm, heliogravure after von Bayros. Pp.: vol. 1 [4] 1-198 plus engraved t.p. and 3 plates. Vol. 2: 1-204 [2] plus engraved t.p. and 3 plates. Title-page: DIE MEMOIREN | DER | FANNY HILL | VON | JOHN CLELAND | ESTER (ZWEITER) BAND | PAPHOS IM JAHR DER | CYTHERE | MDCCCCVI || Author of the text: John Cleland (British, c. 1709 – 1789). Translator: Franz Blei [Dr. Erich Feldhammer] (Austrian, 1871 – 1942). Illustrator: Franz von Bayros (Austrian, 1866 – 1924). Provenance: Dr. Phil. Rudolf Ludwig. Catalogue raisonné: The amorous drawings of the Marquis von Bayros. — New York: Cythera Press, 1968. The Beautiful Maiden of Pao, pp. 31-38. Seller's Description: Erster [und] Zweiter Band. Paphos [Wien, C. W. Stern], im Jahr der Cythere 1906. Mit sechs Tafeln und zwei illustrierten Titeln nach Franz von Bayros, alle zweifarbig. Grau marmorierte Originalkalblederbände mit Rücken-, Deckelkanten- und Kopfschnittvergoldung. Privatdruck. – Eins von 35 Exemplaren der Luxusausgabe auf Japanpapier, im Druckvermerk von Band I von Bayros signiert. – Die Übersetzung stammt von Franz Blei, der hier unter dem Pseudonym Dr. Erich Feldhammer genannt wird. Als Textvorlage diente die Ausgabe London 1749. – Gedruckt wurde bei Gustav Röttig & Sohn in Ödenburg. – Sehr seltene Vorzugsausgabe, die zwar bei den Bibliographen, nicht aber im Druckvermerk genannt wurde. – Fast tadellos. – »Dieses Werk ist eines der berühmtesten in der erotischen Literatur« (Stern-Szana). Nach Hinweis bei Brettschneider wurde die Auflage beschlagnahmt. – Exlibris Dr. phil. Rudolf Ludwig, Wien (Heliogravüre nach Zeichnung von Franz von Bayros, Brettschneider 156) in beiden Bänden. 17 : 11,5 cm. [4], 198, [2], [4], 204, [2] Seiten. Zusammen 8 Tafeln. Brettschneider 38. – Hayn/Gotendorf I, 618. – Stern-Szana 243 und ausführlich S. 222ff -
Softcover volume, 33 x 26 cm, collated in folio, not bound, in publisher’s French flapped pictorial wrappers, lettering to spine; printed on thick wove Arches paper watermarked “MBM”, upper edge trimmed, owner’s blind stamp to h.t. “Ex Libris Comte Tony de Vibraye”, glassine dust jacket, in a slipcase. Collation: π2 1-262, total 54 leaves, plus 4 leaves in wrappers, plus 10 plates, incl. frontispiece; coloured aquatints after Sylvain Sauvage; coloured etched vignette to front wrapper, gilt woodcut to back wrapper, woodcut title-page and woodcut headpiece after the same. Pp.: [4] [1] 2-102 [2]. Front wrapper (gilt and black): LA NUIT & LE MOMENT | {vignette} | OU | LES MATINÉES DE CYTHÈRE | PAR | MONSIEUR DE CRÉBILLON LE FILS | — || Title-page (woodcut): CRÉBILLON LE FILS | — | LA NUIT ET LE MOMENT | OU | LES MATINÉES | DE CYTHÈRE | {vignette} | A PARIS | AUX DEPENS D'UN AMATEUR | — | M CM XXIV || Limitation: De cette édition il a été tiré un exemplaire unique sur japon impérial comportant dix aquarelles originales, deux cents trente exemplaires sur vélin d' Arches numérotés 1 à 230, dont les dix premiers avec une suite de hors texte sur japon. N° 1 [Print run limited to 230 copies on Arches plus a unique copy on Japon with original watercolours, this is copy № 1 on wove paper]. Seller’s description: La Nuit et le moment ou Les Matinées de Cythère. Paris, Au dépens d'un amateur, 1924. In-4, en feuilles, non rogné, couverture illustrée et étui. Ouvrage illustré de 4 gravures sur bois et de 10 eaux-fortes libres en couleurs hors texte de Sylvain Sauvage. Tirage à 231 exemplaires, celui-ci le n°1 sur vélin d'Arches. Manque la suite de hors texte sur japon. De la bibliothèque du Comte Tony de Vibraye, avec cachet à froid. Dutel, n°2062. Catalogue raisonné: honesterotica.com; Dutel III 2062. Contributors: Claude-Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon [Crébillon fils] (French, 1707 – 1777) – author. Sylvain Sauvage [Félix Roy] (French, 1888 – 1948) – artist. Provenance: Antoine Henri Gaston Hurault de Vibraye [Comte Tony de Vibraye] (French, 1893 – 1951)
