Paris: Mercure de France (1899). 261pp. The second edition of this controversial gay novel, which was prosecuted for pederastic content in a widely publicized case. After a storm of protest and support from numerous literary celebrities, Eekhoud was eventually acquitted and the book has remained one of the foundational works of modern gay literature. Very good in period binding, original wrappers not present, light wear.
Upsala: Esaias Edquist (1880). 38pp. Carl Pontus Wikner (19 May 1837 - 16 May 1888) was a famed Swedish lecturer in philosophy and is considered one of the founders of the homosexual liberation movement in Sweden. Against the argument that homosexuality is unnatural, he answered that only that which according to the laws of nature cannot occur is unnatural. And nothing is bad which does not injure or harm any person. He pleaded to all future readers to give homosexuals the right to get married. Very good in original wrappers, small closed tears to covers. Rare.
Graz: Neugebauer (2017. 363pp. An extensive collection of letters between these close friends, covering the 1920s-30s, with a preface by Michael Allen. Fine as issued.
Madrid: Sucesores de Rivadeneyra (1923). 61pp. An uncommon novel in the Novela de Hoy series, with explicitly gay characters. Very good in original stapled wrappers, with a cover illustration by the author, as well as illustrations throughout.
Madrid: Sucesores de Rivadeneyra (1922). 62pp. A short novel in the "Novela de Hoy" series, this work is illustrated throughout by Marín and has explicitly homosexual characters. Very good in original wrappers, light wear to covers.
Venice: S Rosen, Piazza S Marco (1906). An uncommon miniature book (2" x 2 3/4") of these sonnets, illustrated with drawings by "G.B.S." Babington 518. Good in original boards with leather ties, wear to edges and spine, but internally very nice.
Paris (1939). An issue of the bi-monthly libertarian newspaper, edited by E. Armand (pen name of Lucien-Ernest June) that advocated for sexual freedom. Contributors included Eugène Bizeau, Madeleine Pelletier and Han Ryner. Included in this issue is a sympathetic article by Jean Boileau entitled "Notes pour une étude sur l'uranisme." Covers a bit yellowed, but otherwise good.
Chicago: National Music Co. [1883]. 5pp. Rare musical score with lyrics by Oscar Wilde and music by Edwin Christie. likely spurious("The Western wind is blowing fair/She will not come, I know her well..." This was probably produced during or shortly after Wilde's tour of the US, intended to cash in on his acclaim. Large format, folded with some edgewear.
London : Printed and published by John Fairburn, [1822] and London, Printed and Pub. (for. F. O'Neill) by T. Dolby [1822]. Two quite rare pamphlets, both describing the events surrounding the arrest of Percy Jocelyn (1764-1843), bishop of Clogher; in 1811. Percy Jocelyn (1764-1843), bishop of Clogher was accused by James Byrne of "taking indecent familiarities" (possibly buggery) and of "using indecent or obscene conversations with him". Byrne was sued for criminal libel by Jocelyn and on conviction was sentenced to two years in jail and also to public flogging. Recanting his allegations at the prompting of the bishop's agent, the floggings were stopped. In 1822, Jocelyn was caught in an act of homosexuality with a guardsman in a London public house and he absconded to Scotland where he worked as a butler for the rest of his life. Edward Prime-Stevenson discusses the case in his classic survey of homosexuality, The Intersexes: "Even more dramatic is the history of another great Irish churchman, Bishop Jocelyn, of the See of Clogher, in the early part of the nineteenth century. Relatively a young man, though already advanced in dignity, Bishop Jocelyn was also an inborn uranian. After having had several homosexual relationships without detection, Jocelyn fell in love with a strikingly handsome young soldier, in the Life-Guards, stationed in the diocese, a trooper named John Moverly, who was also uranistic. The Bishop was handsome, genial, and a man of the world, though he filled his religious station becomingly. In 1822 the intimacy came to light. A great scandal ensued." See, Norton, Mother Clap's Molly House @217-222 Both pamphlets are bound in a contemporary 3/4 leather binding along with the colored frontispiece to the second volume.
One of the fathers of the gay rights movement, Ulrichs (1825-1895) penned the highly influential Forschungen über das Rätsel der mannmännlichen Liebe in which he first articulated his view that homosexual love was natural and biological. His subsequent writings have formed the foundation of all later research and his insights were eventually adopted by mainstream science. Holograph postcard (3" x 5.5") from Ulrichs (signed "Carlo Arrigo Ulrichs") to a bookseller in Emden, Germany regarding his publication Alaudae. Ulrichs has settled in Aquila, Italy towards the end of his life and from 1889 to his death in 1895, he published the literary review Alaudae to promote the international use of Latin. He refers to several subscribers of the journal, including "a bishop and a reigning majesty ...' Although difficult to determine, it appears the card is dated 20 April 1889. Ulrichs correspondence is extremely rare.
NP:ND [1911-1914]. 88pp. A rare and controversial work of pornography, which includes one chapter entitled "Chez le baron d'Alderswald" which was originally published in 1904 as a pamphlet and condemned by the Cour d'Assises in 1913. The author casts asperions on every one around Fersen: he had intimate relations with Oscar Wilde, Pierre Loti, and Jean Lorrain; he had an incestuous relationship with his mother who took his virginity at an early age; Jacques, in turn, deflowered a number of young boys upon the skeleton of his own mother. The piece ends with Jacques' death in the prison hospital at Fresnes as a result of "a delicate operation on his anus." This version, significantly revised, was issued as part of a series. Very good in 3/4 morocco binding, marbled endpapers, the initials "P.K.M." appear at foot of spine, lightly nicked spine, original wrappers present. Pia (@110) dates this publication to sometime between 1911 and 1914.
Mercure de France, Tome CVIII, n° 404, 16 Avril 1914. Fersen contributes eight poems to the weekly literary magazine, most of which relate to opium. Other contributors include Georges Eekhoud, Rachilde, Appolinaire among others. Very good in original wrappers.
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.
Paris: A. Savine (1891) 2nd. ed. 295pp. Loliee describes, in some particularly hyperbolic language, the "underworld" of members of "the third sex" in the Paris of the 1890s: « Les voici bien, les jeunes blondins qu’ils adorent, les bardaches modernes, les uns se maquillant comme des femmes, d’autres portant des bagues et des bracelets ou signalant leur passage par une trace de parfum ! Ces greluchons appartiennent au troisième sexe. Ignominieux renversement des lois naturelles qui fait revivre à travers notre société les hontes de l’antique Pentapole ou les plus impures débauches de la décadence romaine. » Wrappers browned and darkened, rebound in marbled boards, marled endpapers. Uncommon.
Madrid: Biblioteca Hispania [1919?]. 123pp. A quite uncommon "novela galante" with a cover illustration by the author. Very good in original wrappers. light wear to covers, small stains on several pages and rear wrapper.
Madrid: Biblioteca Hispania (1918). 370pp. 2nd. An early edition of this erotic novel which takes place during the first world war, republished in the 1960s. Very good in original wrappers, some wear and light staining to covers and spine.
New York: Julien Levy Gallery [1933]. Julien Levy Gallery No Date [1933], New York - Small folded booklet. Exhibition announcement boolet published by Julien Levy Gallery for a showing of the paintings of poet Mina Loy. Booklet reproduces a section from Loy's Lunar Baedecker on the two inside panels. The rear panel lists eleven paintings from the exhibition. Booklet measures 4 1/8" wide x 5 3/8" tall. One faint stray mark to the front cover, else a fine example of this scarce piece of Loy ephemera. The exhibition opened on Saturday, January 28th 9year not stated, but likely from 1933 which was the year of Loy's first exhibition.) Julien Levy married Loy's daughter.
Leipzig: Verlag von Max Spohr (1900) 184pp. Published originally in French in 1899 (l'Amour Libre), this German edition was published by Max Spohr, publisher of Magnus Hirschfeld and numerous other anarchist and progressive causes. Daudet was a printer, journalist, militant antimilitarist who was imprisoned for his political and social beliefs and the author of numerous texts.
Madrid: Jason (1931) 286pp. An uncommon erotic novel, with an introduction by Julio Cejador. See Heuer, Alvaro Retana Recuperado. Retana often raises the issues of "pecados" (sins) in his novels and this is representative of his work in this period. Very good in original wrappers, light creases to wrappers.
Madrid [Sucesores de Rivadeneyra] [1922]. 280pp. 2nd. One of the eccentric's early erotic novels, which raises the controversial issue of abortions in Spain. See Heuer, Alvaro Retana Recuperado @646. Very goof in illustrated wrappers, light foxing, rebound in 1/4 leather boards.
Glasgow: David Bryce & Son, [1895?]. 199pp. The second edition of this boy's adventure story, originally published in a different format several years earlier. Amusingly, the author (writing under his pseudonym Xavier Mayne) describes the underlying homosexual quality of the novel thusly: "Also in "White Cockades" a little tale of the flight of the Younger Pretender, by E. I. Stevenson, issued in Edinburgh some years ago, passionate devotion from a rustic youth toward the Prince, and its recognition are half-hinted as homosexual in essence." Good in rather worn red boards, spine dulled, corners bumped, with a final advertisement leaf. Penciled notes on front pastedown. Likely a reissue of the 1892 Bryce edition, with a cancel title page and with the half-title excised.
Utrecht (1731). 22pp. Emanuel Valk (1697-1732) was minister in Velzen (1723-1730) and later in Vianen. In 1730, he was suspected of sodomy and resigned from his church and moved to Utrecht, where he wrote pamphlets about his case. In 1732, he was arrested in Utrecht and handed over to the police of Vianen, where he subsequently committed suicide in his cell. The 'Letter to a friend' contains copies of the summons of 27 August 1731 and the sentence of 19 November the same year. The second work listed is signed by the author opposite the title page. Contemporary marbled limp boards. title page lightly foxed; one leaf loosening, backstrip damaged. Both wrks are quite rare.
[Leiden]: (1730). 2 pts in 1 vol. 86pp. An extraordinary collection of documents related to the viscous "sodomitical purges" in Holland in the 1730s, with summons and lists of people accused or condemned or committing sodomy. The punishments for this crime were severe: many men were thrown into the North Sea alive with weighted bags attached, some were strangled and others burned to death or drowned. The second part (78pp) is entitled: Mengeldigten, over de sodomitische straffe of de Beruchte Gruuwelzonden van Sodomie gelukkiglyk ontdekt en geftraft in den Jaare 1730. Bound in contemporary marbled paper wrappers, spine missing, some edgewear but overall quite good.
Paris: Les éditions d’art de Raymond Duncan (1926). 24pp. 4to. A rare collection of Sapphic poetry poetry by Roger de Nereys, pseudonym of Marie-Antoine de Helle ( 1894-1976). The book was printed by the American philosopher, artist and poet, Raymond Duncan. Very good in original fragile wrappers, browned, with slight edgewear. One of 20 special copies on Chine (V), with a penciled poem by the author on frontispiece. Laid in is an autographed note in the hand of the author.
Roma: Soc. ed. Dante Alighieri (1898). 308pp. A study of same sex attractions in school-aged individuals by this moral philosopher. Good in marbled paper over boards, a bit of bubbling to paper and occasional light spotting.
