Peter Bichsel   Fine Books

Sade, Marquis de. Les 120 Journées de Sodome ou l’Ecole du Libertinage. Publié pour la première fois d’après le manuscrit original, avec des annotations scientifiques par le Dr. Eugène Dühren (i.e. Iwan Bloch).

Text within ornated frame. With facsimile of de Sade’s hand-writing on p. 527. Half title, title, 2 leaves, 543, (1) pp. 4to. Grand in-8vo. Contemp. full violet morocco over 5 raised bands. Boards and spine with gilt decoration. Top edge gilt (sign. Fanck). – (Berlin), Club des Bibliophiles (Max Harrwitz), 1904.

First edition. One of 5 numbered copies (no. 10) on Whatman paper after 5 on Japan of a total limited edition of 200. It was the Berlin psychiatrist Iwan Bloch (1872–1922) who initialized the present first publication of the manuscript of de Sade’s (1740–1814) most radical work, which was found as a paper scroll of more than 12 meters in the Bastille, where de Sade was emprisoned between 1784 and 1789. – Some rubbing to parts of extremities of the binding. Inner joint split between end-paper and second flyleaf. Clean copy. – Best.-Nr. 23357