Paris: Librairie Artistique. Soft cover. Very good in illustrated wrappers. More

Washington: Guild Press (1966). One of the milestones of modern gay literature–a "Dante journey into a dark and underground world that may shock or repel, but will surely fascinate." (from dust jacket blurb). A very good copy in good dust jacket by Etienne, with closed tears, small chip at edges, light rubbing to covers and spine. More

Paris: L'Astrée (1956). Story of the seduction of a young acolyte by a priest, originally published in 1878. Very good in original wrappers. One of 990 numbered copies, this example appears to be an hors commerce copy. More

London: John Watkins (1941). 360pp. A collection of mystical poetry, much of it clearly homosexual in tone, written by a Cambridge scholar who migrated to India and lived much of his adult life in an ashram. Quite uncommon. Chadwick (1899–1939), son of a Church of England clergyman, was a mathematician and fellow of Trinity, Cambridge, joining an occult order in the 1920s, possibly Crowley’s A. A. or O.T.O. (Crowley was a Trinity man) or Dion Fortune’s Fraternity of the Inner Light. Dissatisfied with Western life, he travelled to India where he entered the ashram founded by Sri Aurobindo, never returning to these shores. His mainly spiritual verse includes a sequence of twenty-one poems to ‘Bobby’ which are frankly Uranian. More

Bergamo: Lubrina (1997). 295pp. The first Italian translation of this gay classic, originally published in Danish in 1904 and later adapted to film and the stage. Much admired by Thomas Mann and Alfred Hitchcock the 1924 film is considered an important early work in gay silent cinema. Brilliantly illustrated by Mirando Haz, this is one of 200 special signed and numbered copies with an original signed etching by the illustrator. Near fine in paper slipcase. More

Scrapbook prepared by Cecil Beaton over the period 1935-1944, with some later inclusions. Decorated paper over boards, cloth spine lettered "Scrap Book." 14 1/4 x 11 3/4 inches (35 x 20 cm); 50 ff., with mounted newspaper clippings (most poignantly those dealing with the death of his friend, the artist Rex Whistler), notes and letters received by Beaton (including a five-page letter from the poet and Surrealist Edward James, among others), telegrams and bills, fair copies in his hand (some extending for pages) of texts that interested him, etc. etc. Some leaves with evidence of extractions, some loose clippings, some later and unrelated material laid in at front. The sections in Beaton's hand include a three-quarter page section of observations on roses in art; a four-page copy of a work by Norah Lindsay "Summer Roses of Long Ago;" a sheet laid in with copies of four of Shakespeare's sonnets; and another with an unidentified quotation; and a typed sheet of musings on Beaton's 8 Pelham Place stationery (his London address). Beaton scrapbooks are rare in commerce. Sold with a copy of Beaton. The Art of the Scrapbook, Assouline/Knopf 2002. More

Paris (2000). Catalog of a highly praised exhibition at the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris. Heavily illustrated. Very good in wrappers. More

London: Mandrake Press (1929). 4to. 164pp. Hardcover. Reprinted from teh original English edition with an Introduction by KH Josling and numerous color illustrations by M. Leone. One of 550 numbered copies. Bound in full green parchment, all edges gilt, cover gilt design. A Lovely copy with sunning to spine. More

Lisbao: Olisipo (1922). The second edition of these controversial poems, many of which are explicitly homosexual in content and which created a furor when published in this ediiton. The previous year, Botto had published the first edition of the poems, which were largely ignored until his friend Fernando Pessoa issued the present edition under his Olisipo imprint and publicly praised the poems. Conservatives reacted strongly against the poems, calling them "sodom's literature" and the book was banned by the authorities in 1923. Catholic college students clamored for a burning of the book, but Botto refused to apologize for his work. Botto was openly homosexual throughout his life and later struggled to survive by writing children's books and short essays. Pessoa, Portugal's pre-eminent modernist literary figure, considered Botto the only Portuguese poet worthy of the label "aesthete" and, as a critic and publisher, championed his work. Pessoa translated the poems into English, which were eventually published in 1948 (see below). To publicize the book, Pessoa wrote a provocative article, published in the journal Comtemporânea, (see below) praising the author’s courage and sincerity for shamelessly singing homosexual love as a true aesthete. Pessoa's article prompted the critic Alvaro Maia to excoriate Botto’s work, which was then followed by another article by Raul Leal (an openly homosexual writer, friend of Pessoa). Conservatives reacted and complained to the authorities about the work’s immorality ("Sodom's literature") and the book was confiscated by the authorities in 1923. The Liga de Acção dos Estudantes de Lisboa [Lisbon Students Action League], a Catholic college students group (lead by Pedro Teotónio Pereira) clamored for an auto-da-fé of Botto's book and someone even suggested the author should be hanged. Nevertheless, most artists and intellectuals promptly took up his defence in several polemic articles. Eventually, the scandal subsided, the next year the ban was lifted and until the end of his life Botto would publish several revised versions of the book. His work was applauded by Antonio Machado, Miguel de Unamuno, Camilo Pessanha, Virginia Woolf, Teixeira de Pascoaes, José Régio, Luigi Pirandello, Stefan Zweig, Rudyard Kipling, James Joyce and Federico García Lorca. A very good copy in the original printed wrappers, with the original frontispiece photograph of the author, bound in later marbled boards. A laudatory review of Botto's work by Jayme de Balsemão appears at the end of the book. His work has been widely praised by fellow writers, including James Joyce among others. See also, Leal, Sodoma Divinisada, (see below) which praises Botto's courage for writing about gay subjects. More

Frank Hallman (1975). Three short works by Bowles. Miller A28. very good in wrappers. More

Paris: Roving Eye Press, 1931. Bob Brown, ed, Readies for Bob Brown's Machine (1931). Roving Eye Press, 1931. A very scarce anthology or collection, printed in France, with contributions (often brief) from the likes of Ezra Pound, William Carlos Williams, Kay Boyle, James T Farrell, Gertrude Stein, et al. Condition: Good, with chipping and splitting to paper at spine ends, droplet spotting and discoloration on front wrap. More

London (1699). 31pp. 8vo. A record of the famous Castlehaven sodomy trial in 1631. The 2nd Earl of Castlehaven was convicted of abetting the rape of his wife and of committing sodomy with his male servants and the trial was a spectacular sex scandal, resulting in the execution of Castlehaven and his servants. Light age yellowing, occasional spotting, 3 leaves trimmed, evident glue stain from repair at gutter throughout, modern blue cloth, new endpapers, a little rubbed. Bookseller's description tipped on to rear pastedown (from 1948). More

NP: ND. A supplement to Le Pagine dell'Isola di Capri with numerous illustrations of Capri. Very good in wrappers. More