NP (1924). Hardcover. Second edition, expanded and with a new Foreword by the author. One of 2000 numbered copies printed of this collection of gay stories by the important gay activist, who was prosecuted for many of these stories when they originally appeared some years earlier. A very nice copy in original unprinted jacket and numbered slipcase, light sunning to spine. More
Barcelona: Biblioteca de Education Sexual (ND) 72pp. A review of existing attitudes about homosexuality, with examples of contemporary and historical artistic and cultural figures and literature. This may be the precursor to another of his books, Sodoma y Lesbos Modernas, published in 1932. More
A vintage 1930s photograph of Tony Sansone (9.5" x 7.5") taken by Townsend, who produced many images of the bodybuilder and gay icon. Very good, unmounted. More
Rugby: George Over (1889). Sayle's second book of verse, highly praised by John Addington Symonds and reviewed by Charles Kains Jackson in the Artist and Journal of Home Culture. Sayle went on to become a noted bibliographer in Cambridge, where he lived most of his life. Original white buckram a little yellowed, covers a bit marked, light browning to endpapers, erratum present at rear, rear hinge split. Limited to 220 copies. Uncommon. Young 3439. d'Arch Smith 250. More
London: Kegan Paul, Trench (1885). 59pp. More
Paris [1925]. large 4to. 20pp. A portfolio of images of the infamous Luis Ferdinand d'Orleans y Borbón, Infante d'Espagne, outrageous gay character, drug dealer, cocaine addict, friend to Cocteau, Mistinguett, Marcel Proust among others. Luis Ferdinand is portrayed in a number of outrageous poses, cavorting with sailors, sniffing cocaine, dressing as a woman and soliciting policemen, etc. He was expelled from France on several occasions for dealing in drugs (dressed as a woman on one occasion) and King Alfonso XIII of Spain eventually deprived him of his rights as an Infante of Spain. In 1930, he married (the much older) Marie Constance Charlotte Say, widow of Prince Henri Amédée de Broglie and the owner of the Château de Chaumont, creating great controversy in the process. His relationship with Proust is detailed in Gury, C. Proust et le "très singulier" infant d'Espagne. Undoubtedly Sem's most outrageous published collection of images. Very good in original decorative wrappers, warmly inscribed by Sem on the title page "Pour Jean Cocteau, Ces enfants terribles! affectueusement. Sem." The book also bears the notation, also in Sem's hand: "Cet album est un peu culotte (si j'ose dire) mais c'est un des derniers qui me restent." Wrappers have been lightly restored with one closed tear, the marbled boards are lightly worn with some slight loss at spine and light repair, leather label.Quite rare, particularly in the wrappers; only one institutional copy found. See Rodriques, J. El Infante Maldito: La Biographía de Luis Fernando de Orleans, el Más Depravado Princípe Borbon. More
Sardanapolis: Aux dépens des Amateurs (1775). 80pp. 8vo. The first edition of the Foutromanie, a poëme lubrique in six parts attributed to Senac de Meilhan or to Mercier de Compiegne. A number of versions and editions have appeared since the publication was issued in 1775, but this is the exceedingly rare first appearance. Pia 289. Very good in contemporary leather binding, gold tooling at edges, gilt devices on spine, label, light wear, contemporary inscription on title page. It appears that the book may have been lightly trimmed. Penciled annotations by Brian Reade on endpaper. More
Paris: Imprimerie A. Lanier et ses fils, 1888. (76 p.). This very uncommon doctoral dissertation on "sexual anomalies" undertaken under the direction of Valentin Magnan. Serieux proposed that a great number of people with "aberrant sexuality" were in fact insane « anormaux constitutionnels ». More
A collection of twelve Signe de Piste (and related) catalogs, brochures, order forms and correspondence from the proprietors of the publications. Many bear penned or penciled notations in the hand of Anthony Reid. Generally very good. More
Los Angeles (1955). lg. 4to. 12pp. One of the privately published collections of the eccentric poet/collector's poetry. No limitation stated, but these were issued in very small editions and distributed to his friends. Warmly inscribed on front endpaper by James to "Mirandi" (Miranda Speranza Masocco Levy), one of the founders of the Santa Fe Opera (and a close friend of Stravinsky). Very good in red wrappers, water stain to top edge, small scar on cover. Rare. More
Fifty-eight book catalogues issued by the legendary bookseller. A wealth of modern literature, including many very rare books, including works by Gill, Raffalovich, Wilde, Ravilious, Corvo, Eric Gill and many others. Generally very good, staples a bit rusty, one cover detached but very good with illustrated covers. Sold as a group: #11, 25, 29, 36, 38, 39, 45, 47, 53, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 99, 100, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107. More
(NP: c.1956). Soft cover. Essays on Christopher Stuart Millard, Edward Meynell and Douglas Cleverdon. Reprinted from the 1956 edition of The Book Collector. Fine in wrappers. More
London: Chatto & Windus (1889). The first published collection of Uranian poetry, according to the scholar Timothy d'Arch Smith in his definitive treatise on the subject, Love in Earnest (pp.24-27). The book was issued while the author lived in exile in France after a scandal involving a seventeen year old boy with whom he had become besotted had forced him to leave England, leaving a scandal in his wake. The poems in this volume deal directly with this ill-fated love affair and were reviewed by Oscar Wilde in the Pall Mall Gazette in the year of publication (‘He has nothing to say and says it’.) Some have argued that the aristocrat who perverts Dorian Gray in Wilde's novel (Lord Henry) was in fact modeled after Somerset. Very good in original parchment boards, light cover wear, spine gutters cracking a bit, spine a bit dulled. More
Leipzig Klinkhardt [1920]. 62pp. Essays on the future of love after the Great War. Stocker, a feminist and sexual reformer and the first woman on the board of Magnus Hirschfeld's SHC. Here discusses the ethics of having relationships with enemy soldiers and other ethical quandaries. Very good in somewhat browned wrappers, pages uncut, first page has a small closed tear. Uncommon. More
London: Alpine Club (1972). Soft cover. Forty illustrated works, many of which were unpublished. Very good in wrappers. Uncommon. More
Lisboa : Imprensa Libanio da Silva (1923). 2nd. ed. 4to. 77pp. The lesbian poet's first published collection, which was generally greeted with disdain by the Portuguese literary world. Her work was reviled, along with that of Antonio Botto for its frank portrayal of homosexuality. Beautifully produced book on heavyweight papers, printed in 2 colors, with original tipped on color illustration. Covers are foxed, cover illustration is only partially present. Internally very good, penned noted on front fold-over in French describing one poem (signed “Myriam Harry ?). More
NP: 1976. The mounted cover photograph of this collection of male erotic images taken in 1976. Notation on verso in the photographer's hand "22/100" which also bears an inscription from the photographer. The photograph is 6.25” x 9.25” and is mounted on a gray sheet that measures 16” x 12.5”. Very good. Quite uncommon. More
