• Front publisher’s yellow wrapper, in a double frame: SEMPRONIUS | HISTOIRE | DE LA | COMMUNE DE PARIS | EN 1871 | La période impériale. – La Révolution du 4 Septembre. – Le | gouvernement de la Défense nationale. – Le Parti républicain | et le Parti socialiste. – L'Association internationale des | travailleurs. – Menées du parti socialiste. – La Commune en 1793. – Le 31 octobre et le 22 janvier. – La Capitulation de | Paris. – Le 18 mars. – L'Assassinat des généraux Clément | Thomas et Lecomte. – Le Comité central de la Garde nationale. | – La Commune ; – Ses Agissement. – Son Budget. – La | Terreur. – Insolence des Fédérés. – Les journaux. – Les Otages. | – Les Opérations militaires. – Les Fusillades. – Les Vols. – Les | Barricades. – Les Incendies. – Documents officiels de la Commune. | TROISIÈME ÉDITION | PARIS, DECEMBRE - ALONNIER, LIBRAIRE-ÉDITEUR | 20 RUE SEGUR, 20 | PRÉS DE LA PLACE SAINT-ANDR -DES-ARTS || Title page: similar to the cover with no frame. Pagination: front wrapper, [2] – h.t. / imprint., [2] – t.p. / blank, [i] – table de matières, vi (i.e. ii), vii (i.e. iii), iii (i.e. iv), [1] 2-267 [268 blank], [1] 2-12 – publisher's advert., back wrapper. Collation : 18mo ; π4, 1-1518, ß6. Binding: 18.5 x 12 cm; softcover; original yellow wrappers, black lettering to covers and spine; almost disbound. Réferences: Le Quillec (1997): 2324; University of Sussex > Paris Commune Collection. Author of the book: "SEMPRONIUS" was in reality two men: Moget, Charles Octave [Féré, Octave] (French, 1815 – 1875) and Décembre, Joseph [Décembre-Allonier] (French, 1836 – 1906).
  • Four-volume edition with 6+4+5+5 = 20 plates. Vol. 1 : Title page, in double-border, within rules; accents as per original, with tall «s»: Les | Parisiennes, | ou | XL caractères generaux | Pris dans les Mœurs actuelles, | Propres à servir à l'instruction | des personnes-du-sexe : | Tirés des memoires du nouveau Lycée-des-mœurs. | I Volume : Les jeunes-filles, | & les filles-à-marier. | A Neufchâtel , | Et se trouve à Paris. | Chéz Guillot, libraire de Monsieur, rue | S.-Jacques, vis-à-vis celle des Mathurins. | 1787. Pagination : [1-5] 6-300, plus 6 etched/engraved plates w/guard tissue after Louis Binet (French, 1744 – about 1800). Collation: 12mo; A14 B-M12 N4; first 6 leaves in gatherings B to M signed, with exceptions: A1,2 unsigned, A3-8 signed, A9-14, D5, N3,4 unsigned. Vol. 2: Title page: Text above the first rule similar; below: II Volume : Les N.lles–mariées : | Les Mariées depuis 3 ans. | A Neufchâtel , | Et se trouve à Paris. | 1787. Pagination : [1-3] 4-388, plus 4 plates. Collation: 12mo; A8 B-Q12 R6; A1,5-8, R4-6 unsigned. Vol. 3: Title page: Text above the first rule similar; below: III Volume : Les epouses | à imiter : à— suir | A Neufchâtel , | Et se trouve à Paris. | 1787. Pagination: [1-3] 4-392, plus 5 plates. Collation: 12mo, A4 B-R12; A1,3,4, G4, N4,6, O5 unsigned. Vol 4: Title page: Text above the first rule similar; below: IV Volume : Les J.nes-Mères, | &—de grands-enfans. | A Neufchâtel , | Et se trouve à Paris. | 1787. Pagination: [1-3] 4-380 [4], plus 5 plates. Collation: A-Q12; A1 unsigned. Binding: later (c. 1875 – 1885) uniform binding of all four volumes in motley 'percaline anglaise' (buckram) with black gilt-lettered labels to spine, marbled endpapers; printed on laid paper; armorial bookplate of Masséna engraved by Stern to front pastedown. Provenance: Library of Masséna; Victor Masséna, duc de Rivoli, prince d'Essling (French, 1836 – 1910) [photo]. Catalogue Raisonné: P.-L. Jacob, 1875: № XXXII, pp. 247-250. P. L. Jacob. Bibliographie et iconographie de tous les ouvrages de Restif de la Bretonne. — Paris: A. Fontaine, 1875. [LIB-2634.2021]. Contributors: Nicolas Edmé Restif de la Bretonne (French, 1734 – 1806) – text. Louis Binet (French, 1744 – c. 1800) – illustrations. Sources: MFA: ACCESSION NUMBER 37.1667a-b lacking one plate in vol. 4. Collation: 12mo, 4 vols. in 2; [v. 1] 150 leaves, plus 6 plates; [v. 2] 194 ll., plus 4 pls.; [v. 3] 196 ll., plus 5 pls.; [v. 4] 192 ll., plus 4 [of 5] pls. BNF Identifier ark:/12148/bpt6k1050366b. Collation: 4 vol. (300; 388; 392; 380 p., XX f. de pl.) : ill. ; in-12
  • Description: One volume in grey-blue French flapped wrapper, 24 x 16.7 cm, collated 8vo, with black and red lettering to front cover, printed on watermarked thick wove paper Alfax Navarre, margins untrimmed, some pages uncut, illustrated with 12 aquatint plates signed Le Loup. Front wrapper and title (red and black): RESTIF DE LA BRETONNE | L'ANTI-JUSTINE | OU | LES DÉLICES DE L' AMOUR | Nouvelle édition entièrement revue et corrigée, | établie pour la première fois sur le texte original de 1798. | PRÉCÉDÉE D'UNE NOTICE BIBLIOGRAPHIQUE | par HELPEY | bibliographe poitevin | {device} | ILE SAINT-LOUIS | DE L’IMPRIMERIE DE Monsieur Nicolas. Limitation: Printed 350 copies, numbered 1-350, on alfax paper; this copy is № 256. Collation: 1-158 166, incl. the 1st and last leaves within the wrappers, total 126 leaves plus 12 plates extraneous to collation. Pagination: [4 blank] [1-4] 5-243 [244 blank] [4 blank], total 252 pages, ils. Catalogue raisonné: Dutel (1920-1970) № 1025, p. 45. Ref.: Danson Erotica Collection at Trinity College, Oxford – KK.6.33. Contributors: Nicolas Edmé Restif de la Bretonne (French, 1734 – 1806) – author. Louis Perceau [Helpey] (French, 1883 – 1942) – author. Maurice Henri Hector Duflou (French, 1885 – 1951) – publisher. The artist – Le Loup – unidentified.
  • Title page (blue and black): RENE BOYLESVE | LA | LEÇON D'AMOUR | DANS UN PARC | ILLUSTRATIONS EN COULEURS | DE | BRUNELLESCHI | PARIS | ÉDITIONS ALBIN MICHEL | 22, RUE HUYGHENS (14e) || Pagination: [6] 1-173 [174] [4], total 184 pages, ils. Collation: publisher’s pictorial wrappers with 2 blank leaves – front and back, π2 (h.t. / justification, t.p. / blank), 87 leaves of text, [1] colophon / blank, total 92 leaves plus 21 plates, incl. frontispiece. Binding: 33.5 x 26 cm; original flapped wrappers, blue fountain and lettering to front, lettering to spine, back blank, in a marbled buckram folder (33.5 x 27 cm) with lettered paper label to spine; printed on Arches wove paper, margins untrimmed. Illustrations: 42 vignettes, tail- and headpieces in color, frontispiece and 20 plates after watercolours and gouaches by Umberto Brunelleschi printed in black and stencil-coloured (au pochoir) on the 18th of November 1933 at R. Coulouma press (Argenteuil), Jacomet press and Padovani press. Contributors: René Boylesve [Tardiveau] (French, 1867 – 1926) – author. Umberto Brunelleschi (Italian, 1879 – 1949) – artist. Daniel Jacomet (French, b. 1894 – ?) – printer. Imprimerie Coulouma (Argenteuil), Robert Coulouma (French, 1887-1976) – printer. Éditions Albin Michel (Paris) ; Albin Michel (French, 1873 – 1943) – publisher. First edition of René Boylesve's novel La Leçon d’amour dans un parc was conducted in Paris by Éditions de la Revue Blanche, in 1902. Description of the stensil (au pochoir) technique.
  • NEW
    A salt print 208 x 155 mm hand-coloured with watercolours depicting a fencer standing in full gear, mounted on cardboard with all four corners cut out and traces of an oval frame.  
  • Softcover, 19 x 12 cm, publisher’s yellow wrappers with lettering to front, rear and spine, pp. [i-v] vi-xix [xx] [1] 2-474 [6], including index pp. 465-71 and contents pp.473-74. Bookseller’s label to front wrapper in the bottom: « LIBRAIRIE CLASSIQUE | ET | MILITAIRE | S. MILON FILS | SAUMUR | FOURNITURES DE BUREAU » Title-page: Pierre Vésinier | ANCIEN MEMBRE DE LA COMMUNE | — | COMMENT A PÉRI | LA COMMUNE | {publisher’s device} | PARIS | NOUVELLE LIBRAIRIE PARISIENNE | ALBERT SAVINE, ÉDITEUR | 12, RUE DES PYRAMIDES, 12 | – | Tous droits réservés. || Contributors: Pierre Vésinier (French, 1824 – 1902) – author. Albert Savine (French, 1859 – 1927) – publisher. Imprimerie de Saint-Denis, H. Bouillant (Paris) – printer.
  • A double slipcase ‘box set’ of five volumes, 25.2 x 19.8 x 10.7 cm, lettered to spine: ŒUVRES CHOISIES | DE | PIERRE LOUŸS |★| APHRODITE | Illustrations de | J. A. CANTE |★| LES CHANSONS | DE BILITIS | Illustrations de | LOUIS ICART |★| LA FEMME | ET LE PANTIN | Illustrations de | J. TRAYNIER |★| LES AVENTURES DU ROI PAUSOLE | Illustrations de | BEUVILLE |★| Poëmes | Illustrations de | BERTHOMMÉ SAINT-ANDRÉ |★| VÉLIN || ; all uniformly bound in French flapped wrappers with colour vignettes and lettering to front and spine, printed on wove paper (Vélin) in Paris by Imprimerie Union and hand-coloured by Établissements Bellarde. Edition limited to 20 copies on Vélin d’Arches; 60 copies on Pur Fil du Marais, 150 copies on Pur Fil Lafuma, and 1500 copies on Vélin. This set is copy № 1467 on Vélin. 1) PIERRE LOUŸS | APHRODITE | MŒURS ANTIQUES |★| ILLUSTRATIONS EN COULEURS DE | J. A. CANTE | {vignette} | ÉDITIONS | ALBIN MICHEL | PARIS ||; pp: [i-xi] xii-xiv [xv-xviii] 19-245 [11] ; total 256 pages (128 leaves) with 5 headpieces and 8 in-text illustrations plus 8 full-page plates after J. A. Cante (French, fl. c. 1947 – 1962); partially uncut. 2) PIERRE LOUŸS | Les Chansons | de Bilitis | TRADUITES DU GREC | ILLUSTRATIONS EN COULEURS DE | LOUIS ICART | {vignette} | ÉDITIONS | ALBIN MICHEL | PARIS ||; pp: [i-x] xi-xix [xx] [2] 3-190 [6] ; total 216 pages (108 leaves) with 13 headpieces, one tailpiece plus 8 leaves of plates incl. frontispiece after Louis Icart (French, 1888 – 1950); partially uncut. 3) PIERRE LOUŸS | LA FEMME | ET LE PANTIN | Roman Espagnol | ILLUSTRATIONS EN COULEURS DE | J. TRAYNIER | {vignette} | ÉDITIONS | ALBIN MICHEL | PARIS ||; pp: [1-14] 15-144 [8] ; total 152 pages (76 leaves) with 5 headpieces, 6 in-text illustrations plus 8 leaves of plates incl. frontispiece after Jean Traynier (French, fl. c. 1942 – 1954); partially uncut. 4) PIERRE LOUŸS | Les Aventures | du | ROI PAUSOLE | ILLUSTRATIONS EN COULEURS DE | BEUVILLE | {vignette} | ÉDITIONS | ALBIN MICHEL | PARIS ||; pp: [1-12] 13-252 [4]; total 256 pages (128 leaves) with 4 section vignettes, 4 headpieces plus 12 leaves of plates after Georges Beuville (French, 1902 – 1982); partially uncut. 5) PIERRE LOUŸS | POËMES | ASTARTE • IRIS • AQUARELLES PASSIONNÉERS | HIVERNALES • LA FORÊT DES NYMPHES • STANCES | DERNIERS VERS • POËMES DIVERS | FRAGMENTS | ILLUSTRATIONS EN COULEURS DE | BERTHOMMÉ SAINT-ANDRÉ | {vignette} | ÉDITIONS | ALBIN MICHEL | PARIS ||; pp: [1-8] 9-241 [242] [6]; total 248 pages (124 leaves) with 11 headpieces plus 8 leaves of plates after Louis Berthomme Saint-André (French, 1905 – 1977); partially uncut. Author: Pierre Louÿs (French, 1870 – 1925).  
  • 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.
  • Binding: One volume collated 4to, 27 x 19.4 cm in publisher’s French flapped cream wrappers lettered in blue and black to front and spine. Printed on watermarked laid paper (vergé d’Arches), outer and bottom margins untrimmed. Front wrapper (blue and black): PIERRE LOUŸS | LES AVENTURES | DU | ROI PAUSOLE | ILLUSTRATIONS DE | BRUNELLESCHI | {publisher’s device «EM»} | PARIS | L’ESTAMPE MODERNE | 1930 || Title page: PIERRE LOUŸS | LES AVENTURES | DU | ROI PAUSOLE | CONTENANT | DIX-SEPT ILLUSTRATIONS | EN COULEURS DONT NEUF HORS-TEXTE | PAR | BRUNELLESCHI | {publisher’s device} | PARIS | L’ESTAMPE MODERNE | ÉDITEURS | 14, RUE DE RICHELIEU, 14 | 1930 || Collation: 4to; π4 (incl. 1st blank, h.t./limit., t.p., d.t.p.) [1]-414 (last gathering uncut); total 168 leaves plus 9 plates with tissue guards extraneous to collation, incl. frontispiece, stencil-coloured etchings by Gorvel after Brunelleschi. Pagination: [6] [2] 3-324 [6], total 336 pages, ils. Limitation: Edition limited to 524 copies, 6 on Japon Impérial, enriched (№ 1-6); 13 on Japon Impérial, enriched (№ 7-19); 30 on Japon Impérial, enriched (№ 20-49); 450 on vergé d’Arches (№ 50-499); 5 on Japon Impérial (№ I-V) not for sale, and 20 on vergé d’Arches (№ VI-XXV) not for sale. This copy is № 300, on vergé d’Arches. Printed: January 30, 1930, by Coulouma (Argenteuil), plates by Ad. Valcke (Paris), stencil-colouring by J. Saudé. Contributors: Pierre Louÿs (French, 1870 – 1925) – author. Umberto Brunelleschi (Italian, 1879 – 1949) – artist. Georges Emile Louis Eugene Gorvel (French, 1866 – 1938) – etcher. Jean Saudé (French, fl. c. 1890 – 1930) – printer (pochoir, stencil) Coulouma (Argenteuil) – printer L’Estampe Moderne – publisher.
  • Vol. 1: Front wrapper (green and black): Pascal Pia | les | Livres | de l'Enfer | du XVIeme siècle à nos jours | TOME I | C. Coulet et A. Faure || Title page: Pascal Pia | les | Livres (historiated initial «L») | de l'Enfer | Bibliographie critique des ouvrages | érotiques dans leurs différentes | éditions du XVIe siècle à nos jours. | Tome I | A à L | C. Coulet et A. Faure | 5 rue Drouot | Paris 9e | 1978 || Pagination: [1-6] 7-413 [414]. Vol. 2: Front wrapper similar to Vol. 1 but “TOME II”; title similar to Vol. 1 but “Tome II | M à Z”. Pagination: [6] 415-837 [838] [2] – colophon / blank. Entries in the main sections are not numbered, each page has two columns of text and the columns are numbered 1-778 in vol. 1 and 779-1440 in vol. 2; p. 751– 792 – l'enfer BNF (numbered list); pp. 793-837 – index of authors, artists, editors, publishers, etc. Edition: 1st; limited to 900 copies, first 100 numbered 1-100 and printed on Ingres paper, next 800 numbered 1-800 and printed on Centaure Ivoire paper. This copy is № 34 (stamped in black) from the first hundred. Binding: 25 x 16.5 cm, both volumes printed on laid watermarked paper “Ingres”, untrimmed, uncut, uniformly bound in publisher’s wrappers lettered on front and spine. Contributors: Pascal Pia [Pierre Durand] (French, 1903 – 1979) – author/compiler. Imprimerie centrale de l'Ouest (Roche-sur-Yon) – printer.
  • NEW
    Softcover, 193 x 252 mm, pictorial wrappers, lettered, 24 leaves numbered on recto 2-23 with 23 photogravures after Charles Castellani and advertisement to verso. Front wrapper: (ribbon) EXPOSITION UNIVERSELLE DE 1889 | ESPLANADE • DES  • INVALIDES • | — | PANORAMA | LE | ”TOVT – PARIS” | peint par | Ch. Castellani | — || Title-page: (in frame) PANORAMA | LE | “TOUT – PARIS” | PEINT PAR | CH. CASTELLANI || Ref:  BNF, département Estampes et photographie, 4-NA-62; Getty Research Institute Accession Number 2623-796. Contributors: Charles Castellani (French, 1838  – 1913) Arents, Pierre-Marie (Belgian, 1842 – 1916) Characters: Fouquier, Henry (French, 1838 – 1901) Bernhardt, Sarah [Bernard, Henriette-Rosine] (French, 1844 – 1923) Lesseps, Ferdinand Marie, Comte de (French, 1805 – 1894) Clemenceau, Georges (French, 1841 – 1929) Troubetzkoy, Pyotr Petrovich, Prince (French, 1822 – 1892) Shah Qajar, Naser al-Din (Persian, 1831 – 1896) Floquet, Charles (French, 1828 – 1896) Marinoni, Hippolyte Auguste (French, 1823 – 1904) Charcot, Jean-Martin (French, 1825 – 1893) Poupart-Davyl Louis (French, 1835 – 1890) Eiffel, Gustave (French, 1832 – 1923) Grévy, Jules (French, 1807 – 1891) Zola, Émile (French, 1840 – 1902) Granier de Cassagnac, Paul (French, 1843 – 1904) Claretie, Jules Arsène Arnaud (French, 1840 – 1913) Rochefort, Victor Henri, Marquis de Rochefort-Luçay (French, 1831 – 1913) Pasteur, Louis (French, 1822 – 1895) Broglie, Albert, duc de (French, 1821 – 1901) Gounod, Charles (French, 1818 – 1893) Dumas fils, Alexandre (French, 1824 – 1895) Ferry, Jules (French, 1932 – 1893) Pyat, Félix (French, 1810 – 1889) Loti, Pierre (French, 1850 – 1923) Michel, Louise (French, 1830 – 1905) Péan, Jules-Émile (French, 1830 – 1898) among others.
  • Cover: LA | NOUVELLE PHÈDRE | ET | LE DIRECTEUR DE L'ODEON | PAR | PAGES (DU TARN) | PRIX : 50 CENTIMES | PARIS | GUSTAVE HAVARD, LIBRAIRE–ÉDITEUR | BOULEVARD SÉBASTOPOL (RIVE GAUCHE) et rue de la Harpe. | 1858 || Pagination: [1-3] 4-48. Collation: 8vp; [1]-38 (total 24 leaves) Binding: publisher’s wrappers. Printer: Imprimerie Bonaventure et Ducessois (Paris); Ducessois, Théodore (French, 1804 – after 1864.) Bonaventure, Jules-Frédéric (French, ca. 1816 – 1891) Pagès (du Tarn) (French, fl. 1838 – 1872) – known absolutely nothing. Other works: La France, ode (M. Papailhiau, 1840); Aux Électeurs ... du Tarn (Soupe, 1848) ; Les Funérailles de Napoléon, ode (Pilout, 1840) ; Mazagran, 4, 5 et 6 février 1840, chant héroïque (M. Papailhiau, 1840) ; Herminie, ou l'Amour et l'honneur, tragédie en 5 actes, en vers (Moquet, 1872) ; Lettre à S.E. le ministre de l'Intérieur sur la nouvelle Phèdre et le Théâtre français (Moquet, 1856), etc. There is also a humorous book by Antony de Menou, which does not contain anything of substance: Un contemporain: biographie de Pagès (du Tarn). — Paris: Masgana, 1857. Antony de Menou is an obscure figure in his own right. An article about him can be found at Les derniers bohêmes by Firmin Maillard (1833 – 1901) [LIB-2652.2021].
  • Title-page: CURIOSITÉS | DE L’HISTOIRE | DU VIEUX PARIS | PAR | P. L. JACOB | BIBLIOPHILE | { LES NOMS DES RUES | LES RUES DE CITÉ | LES RUES HONTEUSES AU MOYEN AGE. | PROMENADES DANS LE VIEUX PARIS EN 1834. | PHYSIOLOGIE DU PONT NEUF. | BICÊTRE } | PARIS | ADOLPHE DELAHAYS, LIBRAIRE-ÉDITEUR | 4-6, RUE VOLTAIRE, 4-6 | – | 1858 || Description: Hardcover, in-16o, 17 x 11 cm, quarter brown morocco over marbled boards, spine with raised bands, gilt lettering, gilt fleurons, marbled endpapers, original wrappers with red and black lettering within red frame bound in, some pages uncut. Collation: 8vo; π2 14, 2-238 244, total 186 leaves between original wrappers. Pagination: [4] [1] 2-364 [4], total 372 pages. Catalogue raisonné: Vicar: I, 770. Contributors: Printer: Simon Raçon et Comp. (Paris). Author: Paul Lacroix [P. L. Jacob] (French, 1806 – 1884). Publisher: Adolphe Delahays (French, mid-19th century).
  • Title page (in red and black): FRENCH ROCOCO | BOOK ILLUSTRATION | OWEN E. HOLLOWAY | {vignette} | LONDON/ALEC TIRANTI/1969 || Series: Pagination: [2 blanks], [i-iv] v-vi, 1-115 [116 blank], plus 65 leaves of plates (283 illustrations). Binding: 25.5 x 19 cm; publisher's navy buckram, gilt lettering to spine, pictorial dust jacket, unclipped.
  • Title: NOUVELLE | LISTE | DES JOLIES FEMMES | DE PARIS ; | LEURS NOMS ET LEUR DEMEURE. | PRIX TROIS FRANCS. | Se trouve A Paris , au Palais des plaisirs. | — | An 1808. || Pagination : [1-6] 7-70 [2 blank] Collation : 9vo, [A]9 B-D9. Binding: Original blue wrappers, 15 x 9 cm. Ref: OCLC finds only one copy, at the British Library. The BnF has a work of the same title, with the same pagination, dated 1803. The stated publisher seems to be fictitious. Quaritch description: 12mo, pp. 70; a little dusty, a few spots and marks; a very good uncut copy in original blue/grey wrappers; somewhat worn and stained. Very rare guide to Parisian prostitutes providing an extraordinary snapshot of the state of prostitution in the city during the First French Empire. The anonymous compiler begins with a brief history of prostitution in the capital, and its regulation, under Charlemagne and Louis VIII, describes a brothel established by Joanna I of Naples at Avignon and discusses Pierre-Jean Grosley’s estimate of the number of prostitutes in London. He then provides his liste, divided into categories including ‘houses of the first order’, ‘bawdy houses’, ‘actresses’, ‘washerwomen’, and ‘procuresses’, giving the name of each prostitute, an indication of their age, and their physical attributes, character, and particular talents. Rosanne, for example, chez Madame l’Évêque at the Palais du Tribunat, offers ‘unspeakably voluptuous pleasures to the nether regions’; Honorine prefers women; Scholastique likes wine with her lovemaking; Nanette has a penchant for soldiers; Genevieve favours the priapic; Dorsay enjoys S&M, and Madame Laperriere promises rejuvenation to the elderly. One Ducroisy is poetically described as possessing ‘a tuft as black as a crow above two alabaster columns’, while Félicité has skin ‘soft and white, sprinkled with golden freckles, like gold in Maraschino liqueur’. The author hopes that his listed will bring business to the ladies and pleasure to their clients, beseeching both to look after their health so that his guide might ‘serve Love, not Asclepius’.
  • Title-page (red and black): RESTIF DE LA BRETONNE | LES | FAIBLESSES | D'UNE | JOLIE FEMME | ILLUSTRATIONS EN COULEURS | DE | RAOUL SERRES | {VIGNETTE} | EDMOND VAIREL, ÉDITEUR | PARIS || Description: 25.8 x 17 cm, French flapped wrappers lettered in red and black “LES | FAIBLESSES | D'UNE | JOLIE FEMME” in a 26 x 18 cm tan cloth double slipcase, [1-14] 15-175 [176] [8], collated in-8vo, with 25 colour in-text woodcut vignettes and two tailpieces at the end of each chapter, by Gérard Angiolini after watercolours by Raoul Serres. Published: April 18, 1951, in Paris. Edition: 1st thus, limited edition of 1,025 copies, of which this is № 904 of a common print run on Vélin de Rives paper (numbered 101-1,000). Contributors: Nicolas Restif de la Bretonne [Nicolas-Edme Rétif] (French, 1734 – 1806) – author. Raoul Serres [Schem] (French, 1881 – 1971) – artist. Gérard Angiolini (French, fl. 1946 – 1957) – engraver. Imprimerie Coulouma (Argenteuil), Robert Coulouma (French, 1887-1976) – printer. Edmond Vairel (French, 18… – 19...) – publisher, colourist.
  • Lithography poster on wove paper, 492 x 614 mm; black ink stamp “5036” to reverse, vertical centerfold. Image in frame; under the frame left: "J. B. Gadola, éditeur. Cours de Brosses 1, à LYON."; right: "Lith LAURANT & Cie r. de Bernardins 34, Paris." Title and text below the image. Jean-Baptiste Gadola (French, 1818 – 1870) – publisher.  
  • Hand-coloured lithography on wove paper, 380 x 298 mm; black ink stamp “4912” to reverse. On stone left: "A, Paris Miné Éditeur, imp.;" right: "Lith. R. St. Jacques. 41." Bottom center: "Napoléon III"; below: "EMPEREUR DES FRANÇAIS", under: "Élu les 21 el 22 novembre par 8,000,000 de voix et proclamé Empereur le 2 Xbre 1852." Printer/publisher: Miné, éditeur, imprimeur en lithographie, Rue Saint-Jacques, 41. Napoleon III [Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte] (French, 1808 – 1873)