• In an owner’s quarter buckram cardboard folder with a vegetation diaper design, ms blue ink lettering to front: “Songes galantes | 12 dessins par | Margit Gaal” at the centre, “Arpad Rob Laszlo | à Paris | 1938” in the lower right corner. Loose sheets with the 1st leaf t.p. / table de planches, and then 12 leaves of lithograph plates. Title-page: SONGES GALANTES | 12 DESSINS PAR | MARGIT GAAL | ÉDITION PRIVÉE | PARIS 1920 ||, ms inscription in blue ink in the middle : “Collection par | Árpad Rob Laśzló | techn. d’avion | Paris 1937”. Limitation: Edition limited to 500 copies of which № 1-100 signed by the author. This is copy № 407. References: Dutel (1920-1970) № 1413 (published in 1921); Honesterotica (indicated the year of death as 1965, however, there is no proof). Contributors: Gaál, Margit (Hungarian, 1898 – 1920) – artist.  
  • Hardcover volume, 24.5 x 17.5 cm, pictorial boards and endpapers, pp. [2] 3-167 [168]; 2 t.p., 129 pp. of plates, 33 pp. of text, 4 pp. of thumbnails, 1 colophon. Front cover (grey vignette, blue lettering): Das Leningrader Album | We are on | our way to school | singing songs | hip and cool | Вместе в школу | мы идём | песни модные | поём. | von | Evgenij | Kozlov | konkursbuch Verlag | Claudia Gehrke || ISBN: 3-88769-315-9. Evgenij Kozlov (Russian-German, b. 1955) – artist.  
  • A limited-edition (№26/500) set of 42 etchings and drypoints after Félicien Rops (Belgian, 1833 – 1898), each mounted in a numbered passe-partout, printed posthumously by an anonym in Germany in 1905; in a flapped half faux suede-backed cardboard portfolio with straps, 442 x 335 mm, red embossed lettering to the front cover, bookplate of Richard Teschner (Austrian, 1879 – 1948) pasted inside.

    Title-page (in a red frame): Das erotische Werk | des Felicien Rops | Zweiundvierzig Radie- | rungen des Meisters | in schwarzem und | farbigem Lichtdruck | 1905 | Privatdruk ||

    Limitation (in a red two-section frame) : Dieses Werk wurde in einer | einmaligen Auflage von | 500 numerierten Exemplaren | hergestellt. — Ein Nachdruck | findet nicht statt, die Platten | == sind vernichtet == | Exemplar Nr. 26 ||

    Verzeichnis der Tafeln (Table of Contents): 1. Initiation sentimentale; 2. La croix; 3. Entre-acte; 4. Holocauste; 5. La bonne hollandaise; 6. Étude; 7. La femme au pantin; 8. L’amour de Satan; 9. Au pays des féminies; 10. La volupté; 11. Evocation; 12. De castitate; 13. Joujou; 14. Vengeance d’une femme; 15. Phantasies; 16. Indolence; 17. Théâtre gaillard; 18. Appel au peuple; 19. Masques modernes; 20. Tout est grand chez les rois; 21. Marie-Madeleine; 22. L’amante du Christ; 23. Feuille de vigne; 24. La messe de Guide; 25 Viol et prostitution; 26. Le maillot; 27. Les jeunes France; 28. Les diaboliques; 29. Coquetterie au miroir; 30. Jeune homme; 31. La femme et la mort; 32. Confidence; 33. La bergère; 34. La mère aux satyrions; 35. Les exercices de dévotion de Mr. Henri Roch; 36. Mademoiselle de Maupin; 37. Le bonheur dans le crime; 38. La sirène; 39. Les cabotinages de l’amour; 40. Document sur l’impuissance d’aimer; 41. A cœur perdu; 42. Curieuse.

  • Ten postcards 90 x 140 mm, text in yellow "ВСЕМIРНЫЙ ПОЧТОВЫЙ СОЮЗЪ. РОССIЯ. | UNION POSTALE UNIVERSELLE RUSSIE. | ОТКРЫТОЕ ПИСЬМО. — CARTE POSTALE. || On the reverse, a blue ink woodcut image is printed in the upper left corner, and a blue ink numbered image title is in the bottom centre. Holding the postcard against the backlight reveals a hidden image of an indecent nature (erotic). The use of Latin characters "R" and "N" instead of Russian "Р"  and "Н" suggests that the cards were produced in Europe, probably in France. Inscriptions: 1. ПЕRВЫЕ ДNИ; 2. ПОRА ЛЮБВИ; 3. ВЪ ЛЮДИ; 4. КЪ "СВОБОДNОМУ ИСКУССТВУ"; 5. "СВОБОДNЫЙ ТRУДЪ; 6. БЕЗЪ ГОRЯ И ПЕЧАЛИ; 7. NАЗАДЪ КЪ "СВОБОДNОЙ ЛЮБВИ"; 8. ВСЕ ЧТО ОСТАЛОСЬ!; 9. БЕЗЪ КRОВА И ПRИСТАNИЩА; 10. ИЗЪ ЗА ХЛѢБА.
  • Казанова Д. Истрия моей жизни. — М.: Моск. рабочий, 1991. — 734 с. Составление, вступительная статья, комментарии А. Ф. Строева. Перевод И. К. Стаф, А. Ф. Строева, 1990. ISBN: 5—239—00590—7 Original title: Giacomo Casanova. Histoire de ma vie.
  • Title: Chansons | de Salles de Garde | {vignette} | Internat { À l’Enseigne des Trois Orfèvres } Quartier Latin || Collation: 21 leaves folded in half (84 pages), unpaginated, unbound, plus 40 plates (two-tone lithography) for 40 songs, in a flapped paper folder, in a green cardstock folder (slipcase without top and bottom?) with gilt diaper ornament. Text, music score, and drawings printed in brick red. Size: 28 x 22.5 cm. Edition: limited to 700 copies of which 100 (№ 1-100) on Vélin Arches, 650 (№ 101-650) on Vélin Spécial, and 50 without numbering marked “Exemplaire d’interne” on Vélin Supérieur. This copy is № 27. Catalogue raisonné: Dutel 1920 – 1970: 1192.
  • Description: Softcover 25 x 17 cm in the publisher’s French flapped wrappers lettered to front in black and green « Pierre Louys | MANUEL | DE | CIVILITÉ | POUR LES PETITES FILLES | à l'usage | des | maisons d'éducation » in a frame; unbound, 14 loose bifold wove paper (BFK Rives) sheets collated 4to, in glassine dust jacket, in slipcase; pp.: [1-10] 11-104 [8], total 56 leaves plus 12 laid-in plates after an anonymous artist’s watercolours and drawings reproduced by photogravure and stencil-coloured (au pochoir). Title-page: MANUEL | DE | CIVILITÉ | POUR LES PETITES FILLES | à l'usage | des | maisons d'éducation | ~ | LONDERS | MCMXLVIII || Limitation: 299 copies of which 1 copy (№ UN) on Vieux Japon enriched with the original watercolours and drawings and a b/w suite; 6 copies on Auvergne, each with one original watercolour and a b/w suite (№ I-VI); 6 copies on Auvergne each with one original drawing and a b/w suite (№ VII-XII); 15 copies on Auvergne enriched with a b/w suite (№ XVIII-XXVIII); 271 copies on Vélin de Rives (№ 1-271). This is copy № 91. Publisher, printer, artists – anonymous and unknown. Clandestine edition, marked "London", i.e. Nice, France. Catalogue raisonné: Dutel (1920-1970) № 1920, p. 251. For the original edition, see: LIB-3116.2022.
  • Softcover volume, 17.5 x 11 cm, in-12, brown wrappers without lettering, text printed on laid paper, six plates on India paper barbarously glued in, pp.: fep, [4] (h.t. t.p.), [1-3] 4-182, fep. Title-page (red and black): L’ENFANT | DU | BORDEL | OU | LES AVENTURES DE CHÉRUBIN | – | NOUVELLE ÉDITION | ORNÉE DE SIX GRAVURES SUR ACIER | {fleuron} | Sur l’imprimé de Paris MDCCC | LE MANS | A L’ENSEIGNE DES CITOYENS DU MAINE || Catalogue raisonné: Dutel I: A-325; Pia 395: 222 pages (we have 182 as per Dutel), attributes publication to Poulet-Malassis, 1866. Catalogue Poulet-Malassis & ses amis description: № 82.[PIGAULT-LEBRUN]. L’Enfant du Bordel, ou Les Aventures de Chérubin, nouvelle édition, ornée de six gravures sur acier. Sur l’imprimé de Paris, MDCCC, Le Mans, à l’enseigne des citoyens du Maine. [A. Christiaens, 1875 ?]. In-12, broché. 2 .n.ch., 182 pages, 1 f. blanc, couverture muette en papier vieux orange. Illustré de 6 figures hors-texte sur acier. Bibliographie : G* 553 (40 frs), Dutel A-325. Contributors: Guillaume Charles Antoine Pigault de l'Espinoy [Pigault-Lebrun] (French, 1753 – 1835) – author. Alexis Christiaens (Belgian, d. 1880) – publisher.
  • 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)
  • Title page: PHROSINE | ET | MELIDORE, | POËME | EN QUATRE CHANTS. | A MESSINE, | Et se trouve A Paris, | Chez Le Jay, Libraire, au Grand Corneille, | rue S. Jacques. | M. DCC. LXXII. || Pagination : ffl, [2] – h.t. / blank, [2] t.p. / blank, [1] 2-55 [56 blank], bfl ; 4 copperplate engravings by Nicolas Ponce (French, 1746 – 1831) after Charles Eisen (French, 1720 – 1778), one before each chant. Collation: 8vo; π2 (h.t., t.p. ) A-C8 D4. Binding: 20.5 x 14 cm, full mottled calf, gilt-ruled with triple fillet, flat spine, gilt in compartments, black label with gilt lettering, printed on laid paper, all edges red. Catalogue raisonné: Cohen de Ricci p. 132; J. Lewine: p. 53. Contributors: Nicolas Ponce (French, 1746 – 1831) Jean Charles Baquoy (French, 1721–1777) Charles-Dominique-Joseph Eisen (French, 1720 – 1778) Pierre-Joseph Bernard [Gentil-Bernard] (French, 1708 – 1775).
  • Description: Original tan French flapped wrappers with black lettering to front, 22.7 x 14.5 cm, unbound, printed in b/w on thick wove unmarked paper with no plate mark (lithography?), collated in-4to, 1-94 102, total 38 leaves (2 leaves under front wrapper, 1 blank/limit., 1 h.t./blank, 1 t.p./blank, 31 leaves of illustrations printed on one side, 1 last blank, 1 under back wrapper); in a green marbled cardboard folder with lettered paper label to spine. Limitation: Edition limited to 200 copies on vélin de Rives, copies №№ 1-30 enriched with one original drawing, another 15 copies marked H. C. and numbered I-XV. This copy lacks the number, marked (handwritten) d’artiste A. C. (or H. C.) Catalogue raisonné: Dutel (1920-1970) № 2512, p. 388. Contributor: André Collot (French, 1897 – 1976) – artist.
  • Description: Hardcover photographic pictorial album, 29.2 x 23.1 cm, quarter crimson percaline over grey cloth with lettered paper labels to front cover and spine, grey endpapers; pp. [1-4] 5-109 [3], total 56 leaves, additional spine and cover labels tipped-in. Oliver Hill (British, 1887 – 1968).
  • Description: ¾ contemporary red morocco over marbled boards, 33.1 x 25.8 cm, raised bands, gilt lettering to spine, in a marbled slipcase 34.2 x 25.9 cm. Printed on thick wove paper watermarked “MONTGOLFIER ANNONAY” by Canson & Montgolfier (Annonay, France). Front wrapper and title-page : A. D. M. | GAMIANI | OU | DEUX NUITS D’EXCÉS | FAC-SIMILE DU | TEXTE ORIGINAL | orné des 12 lithographies | de | DEVÉRIA & GRÉVEDON | 1833 – Paris – 1926 | aux dépens d'un amateur || Faux-t.p. (1): GAMIANI | OU | UNE NUIT D’EXCÉS | {vignette} | Bruxelles | 1833 || (fac-semilé of the original wrapper of 1833) Faux-t.p. (2): GAMIANI | OU | DEUX NUITS D’EXCÉS | {vignette} | Bruxelles | 1833 || (fac-semilé of the original wrapper of 1833) Collation: 2 blanks, 1 orig. lavender blue colour front wrapper, 1 blank, 1 h.t., 1 limitation p., 1 t.p., 3 leaves ‘Notice Bibliographique’, 32 leaves of printed text, 2 blanks, 1 brown faux t.p. (1), text in fac-semilé manuscript (7 leaves) with 8 coloured plates, 1 blank, 1 brown faux t.p. (2), 7 leaves of text with 4 plates, 2 blanks, brown back wrapper, lavender blue back wrapper, 2 blanks; total 64 leaves plus 16 plates. Pagination: [1-8] 9-75 [76] [4]; [1] 2-26; mispaginated p. 23 marked 25, f.t.p. and ffl not counted. Last four plates without letters. Limitation: a print run of 360 copies, of which 20 with ‘miniatures’ №№ 1-20, 100 with coloured plates №№ 21-120, 230 with b/w plates №№ 121-350; 10 copies not for sale, marked H. C. (hors commerce). This is copy № 201, which should be with black lithographs, but has coloured plates. According to J.-P. Dutel, the plates were printed from the original stones. For variations on Devéria & Grévedon designs for Gamiani see also:  LIB-3087.2022 (Bruxelles, 1864); LIB-3093.2022 (Bruxelles, 1866); LIB-3090.2022 (Bruxelles, 1871); LIB-2902.2021 (Greman, 1911); LIB-2903.2021 (late 1940s). Catalogue raisonné: Dutel III 1640, p. 185. Contributors : Alfred de Musset (French, 1810 – 1857) – author. André Warnod [André de Sermanmagny] (French, 1885 – 1960) – author (bibliographical note) Pierre Louis Henri Grévedon (French, 1776 – 1860) – artist. Achille Devéria (French, 1800 – 1857) – artist.
  • 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).
  • 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.

    Thérèse philosophe, 1783.

    Late 18th century books

    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.