The motif of Orientalism played an important role in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century literary works in Europe. Fueling the creative imaginations of artists, literary figures, and in fact all of Europe. This fascination with the Orient also influenced many of the Romantic writers, who situated novels and poetry alike in the mysterious far-off lands of Turkey, India, the Middle-East, and Asia. In literature as well as in art, the Orient became associated with lush landscapes, eroticism, mystery, rich costume, and fierce military campaigns. English Romantic writers in search of the unusual and picturesque soon began to incorporate Oriental themes and subjects into their works. This new craze for Orientalism was also the reflection of several historical events such as the Egyptian campaign (1798-1799), the Greek war for Independence (1821-1829), the conquest of Algiers by the French (1830), the opening of the Suez Canal (1869), and the progressive dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire because of rivalries and of colonial ambitions.

Accurate Depictions?
It has been said that “Oriental Studies” in the West have not always been inspired by the purest spirit of scholarly impartiality, and it is hard to deny that some Orientalists authors are more interested in presenting the exotic (and erotic) than a true representation of a culture.

  • Marriage Ceremonies and Priapic Rites in India and the East, "by a member of the Royal Asiatic Society" (Printed for Private Circulation Only, 1909) 9" X 7.25", 107pp., hardbound, blue cloth boards, gilt and red titles on spine, top edge gilt. Very good condition, binding good hinges good. From forward: "The sentiments of Hindu Sages that follow have been chosen mostly from well-known books. They are instructive in many respects, and pretend to be nothing but a collection of notes made by the author while seeking a solution to his own doubts and difficulties... So this monograph--the subject of which is the one most intimately bound up with the life of every man and woman--will be found useful and interesting, both to the Aryans of the East, and to the Aryans of the West, and further needs no apology for its appearance."
  • The Old Man Young Again, or Age-Rejuvenescence in the Power of Concupiscence, [Ibn-I Kemal Pasa] "literally translated from the arabic by an English Bohemian" (Charles Carrington, Paris, 1898 [first edition]) 9" X 5.5", xi 265pp, original soft covers, unread copy (most pages uncut on top, some uncut fore edge). Protective wraps. A very rare translation of an arabic how-to sex manual with much emphasis on aphrodisiacs with a forward by Carrington. Very few copies of this Carrington publication still exist.  This is particularly unique because many pages remain uncut.  I know of no other copies in this unread condition!
  • Musk, Hashish and Blood, Hector France, illust. Paul Avril, [trans. most likely Alfred Richard Allinson] (Charles Carrington, Paris, 1899) 8.5" X 5.5", xiii 447pp., hardbound, cloth boards with gilt tittles and decorations. Marbled end papers, deckled edges, frontispiece with tissue guard and numerous illustrations throughout. Good condition, binding is cocked but intact. Owner's signature in front, ink stamp in back, and imprint on title page reads "W.H. Bovey, Minneapolis, MN." Hector France (1837 - 1908) was a French author best known for his "orientalist" and flagellation tales. This graphic and exciting picture of the Algerian desert, its tribes and their astounding customs is a sensational recounting of France's experiences in North Africa. France tells the stories of his adventures in the nineteenth century Arab world from an eyewitness view. "The adventures of a modern man among the cruel men and passionate women of Algiers." Édouard-Henri Avril (1849-1928) used the pseudonym "Paul Avril" for his erotic work. He was a French painter and commercial artist. His career saw collaboration with influential people like Octave Uzanne, Henry Spencer Ashbee and Friedrich Karl Forberg. He is one of the most celebrated erotic artists of his age. Avril was a soldier before starting his career in art. He was awarded with the Legion of Honour for his actions in the Franco-Prussian War.
  • The Perfumed Garden: A Manual of Arabian Erotology, Sheikh Nefzawi (Editions de la Fontaine d'Or, Paris, 1900 [Imprimerie M. Laballery, Clamecy (Nievre) 1952]) 8.75" X 5.5", 189pp. original soft wrappers, good condition for age, spine detaching at top and bottom, some small rips and bumps. Back cover states "not to be sold in England or U.S.A" The Perfumed Garden of Sensual Delight is a fifteenth-century Arabic sex manual and work of erotic literature. The book presents opinions on what qualities men and women should have to be attractive, gives advice on sexual technique, warnings about sexual health, and recipes to remedy sexual maladies. It gives lists of names for the penis and vagina, has a section on the interpretation of dreams, and briefly describes sex among animals. Interspersed with these there are a number of stories which are intended to give context and amusement. Sheikh Nefzawi (Abu Abdullah Muhammad ben Umar Nafzawi), was born among the Berber Nefzawa tribe in the south of present-day Tunisia. He probably wrote The Perfumed Garden sometime during the twelfth century, compiled at the request of the Hafsid ruler of Tunis, Abū Fāris ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz al-Mutawakkil.
  • My Uncle Barbassou, Mario Uchard, Paul Avril (illust.) (Vizetelly & Co., London, 1888) 10.25" X 6.5", 339pp., hardbound, blue cloth boards with gilt and black titles and decorations on spine and front cover. Deckled edges. Good condition for age, boards and binding sound, illustrations throughout. Originally published in 4 parts in 1876, "Mon Oncle Barbassou" is a story of a man who inherits his uncle's estate which includes a newly purchased harem of 3 young girls. This novel is a prime example of the French "Orientalists" of the late 1800's. Scandalous for the age, but mild by today's standards, this book is the first English translation. The first English translation from the "Mon Oncle Barbassou" published in 1877. 40 beautiful engravings by Paul Avril. Édouard-Henri Avril (1849-1928) used the pseudonym "Paul Avril" for his erotic work. He was a French painter and commercial artist. His career saw collaboration with influential people like Octave Uzanne, Henry Spencer Ashbee and Friedrich Karl Forberg. He is one of the most celebrated erotic artists of his age. Avril was a soldier before starting his career in art. He was awarded with the Legion of Honour for his actions in the Franco-Prussian War.
  • Mon Oncle Barbassou, Mario Uchard, illust. Paul Avril (J. Lemonnyer, Paris, 1884 [#394/1000, one of only 225 printed on Holland Paper]) 10" X 6.5", 311pp., hardbound in 3/4 dark blue morocco leather with gilt titles and decorations on spine with 5 raised bands, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt others deckled. First Illustrated Edition with many beautiful engravings by Paul Avril throughout. Some very slight wear to leather and boards, otherwise a very good+ copy overall clean, bright and structurally sound. #394/1000, one of only 275 in Holland Paper. Originally published in 4 parts in 1876, My Uncle Barbassou is a story of a man who inherits his uncle's estate which includes a newly purchased harem of 3 young girls. This novel is a prime example of the French "Orientalists" of the late 1800's. Scandalous for the age, but mild by today's standards, this book is in the original french. This is a beautifully bound copy of the First Illustrated Edition with plates by Paul Avril. Édouard-Henri Avril (1849-1928) used the pseudonym "Paul Avril" for his erotic work. He was a French painter and commercial artist. His career saw collaboration with influential people like Octave Uzanne, Henry Spencer Ashbee and Friedrich Karl Forberg. He is one of the most celebrated erotic artists of his age. Avril was a soldier before starting his career in art. He was awarded with the Legion of Honour for his actions in the Franco-Prussian War.
  • Mon Oncle Barbassou, Mario Uchard (Paul Ollendorff, ƒditeur, Paris, 1894, stated "Nouvelle Edition") 7.25" x 4.75", 405pp., hardbound, quarter leather, 4 raised bands on spine, title in gilt on red. Good condition for age, pages yellowing. Originally published in 4 parts in 1876, "Mon Oncle Barbassou" is a story of a man who inherits his uncle's estate which includes a newly purchased harem of 3 young girls. This novel is a prime example of the French "Orientalists" of the late 1800's. Scandalous for the age, but mild by today's standards, this book is in the original french.
  • The Scented Garden: Anthropology of the Sex Life in the Levant , Bernhard Stern M.D., trans. David Berger M.A. (American Ethnological Press, New York, 1934, Printed for Subscribers, limited edition #387/600) 9 1/4" X 6 1/4", 443pp, hardbound half green cloth with floral boards, illustrated, top edge inked blue, good condition, corners worn, binding is tight Dr. Bernhard Stern spent 5 years in the Orient gathering data for this book. Conferring with famous oriental physicians, priests and students of folk-lore in the Turkish capital, and then on numerous distant journeys into the interior of the European and Asiatic Orient, all reports bearing on the contents of this book which were in any manner obtainable. This encyclopedic book details the sexual practices and perversions of peoples and cultures throughout the world. Topics include: love and love charms, rental marriages, the bridal night of a princess, the sexual lexicon, chastity and the feeling of shame, onanism and artificial instruments, public prostitution and the sex act.
  • Musk Hashish and Blood, Hector France, with 22 etching by Paul Avril (Falstaff Press Inc., New York [c. 1930, stated "London and Paris, Printed for Subscribers Only, 1900" but is most likely a facscimile reprint of that 1900 edition by Carrington/Nichols)) 8 1/8" X 5 3/4", 447pp, hardbound no DJ, deckle edges top edge smooth and dyed blue, very good condition, some light soiling to boards In the introduction, the author states, "The Tales here brought together in one Volume are in no sense a work of fancy pure and simple; imagination has played quite a secondary part in their evolution. They are rather what in French we call 'pages vecues' (real-life stories) and indeed for ten long years the Author actually lived tem when wrapped in the scarlet 'burnouse' of a Spahi, he shared in many a wild foray and desert bivouac on the Algerian frontiers." He goes on to say, "A few of the following pages I admit, may possibly shock some prudish souls always ready to be shocked; and I hereby declare at once that my book is not written for the perusal in young ladies' seminaries." Édouard-Henri Avril (1849-1928) used the pseudonym "Paul Avril" for his erotic work. He was a French painter and commercial artist. His career saw collaboration with influential people like Octave Uzanne, Henry Spencer Ashbee and Friedrich Karl Forberg. He is one of the most celebrated erotic artists of his age. Avril was a soldier before starting his career in art. He was awarded with the Legion of Honour for his actions in the Franco-Prussian War.
  • Amatory Adventures of Sheik Mansour, A Master of the Art of Love, Hector France (Jul-Mar Press, 1932) 6 3/8 x 9 5/8", 249 pp, Stated, limited printing of 1000, but has no number. By Hector France, illustrated by Esaye Rabkin, this is a nice copy of this classic erotic novel. Book is a good used copy - cover is nice, has some rubbing to corners, overall age/use, as seen in the photo. Pages are all present and bound solid. Book has two 'Discarded' stamps, one at inside of the front cover, one at the title page. Has a damp stain along bottom margin of pages from front to page 19, small chip and tear at bottom of the title page. I see no other extraneous marks in this copy! Hector France (1837 - 1908) was a French author best known for his "orientalist" and flagellation tales. This is his risque tale of an Arab stud in action; a novel set around a Turkish harem. Translated by Alfred Allinson and reproduced from the Charles Carrington novel "The Chastisement of Mansour"
  • The Amatory Adventures of The Lustful Turk | or | Lascivious Scenes from a Harem | faithfully and vividly depicted in a series of letters from a young and beautiful English lady to her cousin in England, Anonymous ("Paris: Privately Printed, 1904" [this is a later facsimile printing, np nd]) The Lustful Turk, or Lascivious Scenes from a Harem is a pre-Victorian British erotic epistolary novel first published anonymously in 1828. (although this edition says it is "signed 10th of April, 1868) However, it was not widely known or circulated until the 1893 edition. The novel consists largely of a series of letters written by its heroine, Emily Barlow, to her friend, Sylvia Carey. When Emily sails from England for India in June 1814 her ship is attacked by Moorish pirates and she is taken to the harem of Ali, Dey of Algiers. The Dey rapes her and subjects her to his will, awakening her sexual passions. Emily's debasement continues when the Dey insists on anal sex, arousing the horror of her correspondent Sylvia, who expresses her indignation at the Dey's behaviour, in a letter that the latter intercepts. Annoyed at her attitude, the Dey arranges for Sylvia to be abducted and brought to the slave market of Algiers. After an elaborate charade in which the Dey pretends to be a sympathetic Frenchman, bidding to save her from sexual slavery, and engaging her in a fake marriage, he deflowers her and awakens her sexuality, as he had done with Emily. Revealing his true identity the Dey enjoys both girls together. This sexual idyll is eventually terminated when a new addition to harem objects to anal rape and cuts off the Dey's penis with a knife, and then commits suicide. Seemingly unfazed by this, the Dey has "his lost members preserved in spirits of wine in glass vases" which he presents to Emily and Sylvia, sending them back to England with these tokens of his affection. The novel also incorporates interpolated stories concerning the erotic misadventures of three other girls abducted into the harem and enlarges on the fate of Emily's maid Eliza who, presented by the Dey to Muzra, Bey of Tunis, is bound, flogged and raped in turn.
  • Black Lust, Jean de Villiot [George Grassal (Hugues Rebell)] (Privately printed by The Panurge Press, Inc., New York, 1931, #365/2000) 8 5/8" X 6", 312pp, hardbound no DJ, cream cloth boards with black stamped decorations, top edge dyed blue, other edges deckle, good condition, slight soiling to boards, binding tight Jean de Villiot was a pseudonym used by several authors and compilers working for the publisher Charles Carrington writing novels and "studies" concerning flagellation, including Hugues Rebell (Georges Grassal), Hector France, Stéphane Arnoulin and Charles Carrington, himself. This novel is attributed to George Grassal (Hugues Rebell) originally written in French, in 1902, as "La Femme et son maître" (The Woman and her Master). In 1904 "Woman and her Master" was published in English by Charles Carrington. Panurge Press published this work as "Black Lust" in 1931. This book is a numbered limited edition copy of the Panurge Press edition.
  • Jean de Villiot [George Grassal (Hugues Rebell)] (Charles Carrington, Paris, 1904 [printed "Alençon, Imprimerie Veuve Félix Guy et Cie"]) 6 3/8" X 5", 301pp, soft bound, red cloth spine with titling to paper label, orange paper covers, good condition, crease in lower corner of cover and inch tear along gutter's edge, slightly yellow pages
  • Woman and her Master; an Englishwoman's Adventures in the Madhi's Camp, Jean de Villiot [George Grassal (Hugues Rebell)] (Charles Carrington, Paris, 1904 [printed "Alençon, Imprimerie Veuve Félix Guy et Cie"] stated limited edition 750 copies) 6 3/8" X 5", 301pp, hardbound, red pebbled cloth boards, gilt title on front, no writing on spine, sewn signatures, good condition, some minor bumping and rubbing Jean de Villiot was a pseudonym used by several authors and compilers working for the publisher Charles Carrington writing novels and "studies" concerning flagellation, including Hugues Rebell (Georges Grassal), Hector France, Stéphane Arnoulin and Charles Carrington, himself. This novel is attributed to George Grassal (Hugues Rebell) originally written in French, in 1902, as "La Femme et son maître" (The Woman and her Master). In 1904 "Woman and her Master" was published in English by Charles Carrington. Often these editions were printed unbound and sent to the bookseller to bind to the specifications of their customers. "this book is a witness to the horrors that the power of England has in some degree blotted out by the erection of Schools at Khartoum and Omdurman."
  • The Perfumed Garden: A Manual of Arabian Erotology, Sheikh Nefzawi (Editions de la Fontaine d'Or, Paris, 1900 [Imprimerie M. Laballery, Clamecy (Nievre) 1952]) 8.75" X 5.5", 189pp. full leather rebinding of the paperback (original covers included), fine condition, ribbin intact, Original back cover states "not to be sold in England or U.S.A" The Perfumed Garden of Sensual Delight is a fifteenth-century Arabic sex manual and work of erotic literature. The book presents opinions on what qualities men and women should have to be attractive, gives advice on sexual technique, warnings about sexual health, and recipes to remedy sexual maladies. It gives lists of names for the penis and vagina, has a section on the interpretation of dreams, and briefly describes sex among animals. Interspersed with these there are a number of stories which are intended to give context and amusement. Sheikh Nefzawi (Abu Abdullah Muhammad ben Umar Nafzawi), was born among the Berber Nefzawa tribe in the south of present-day Tunisia. He probably wrote The Perfumed Garden sometime during the twelfth century, compiled at the request of the Hafsid ruler of Tunis, Abū Fāris ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz al-Mutawakkil. A nice full leather copy of the work.
  • Documents on Medical Anthropology | Untrodden Fields of Anthropology | observations on the esoteric Manners and Customs of Semi-Civilized Peoples; being a record of thirty years' experience in asia, africa, america, and oceana., "By a French Army-Surgeon [in later books identified as "Jacobus X.."] (Charles Carrington, Paris, 1898, "second enlarged and revised edition [was there a first?]", #52/150, "printed on papier de chine") 7"x10" 2 vol., xl+ 341pp, xiv+502pp, Hardbound with paper wrappers inside, 1/2-bound in vellum over marbled boards, gilt lettering on spine, top edge gilt, other edges deckle/uncut, fine hand-laid paper, marlbled endpapers, binding tight, color frontispiece and numerous B&W full page engravings with descriptive tissue guards, very rare copy, bookplates of Frederic Roa This work of ''anthropology'' seems in fact intended to serve the purposes of titillation with its detailed descriptions of exotic sexual practices. Also present in this edition (to be presumably studied) are illustrations of naked women from all over the world.  This is a rare book, often mentioned but not seen.
  • The Old Man Young Again, or Age-Rejuvenescence in the Power of Concupiscence, [Ibn-I Kemal Pasa] "literally translated from the arabic by an English Bohemian" (Charles Carrington, Paris, 1898 [first edition]) 5.25"x8.5", xi 265pp, hard bound in brown boards with gilt titles over red on spine, pages uniformly yellowed, good condition for age, binding good A very rare translation of an arabic how-to sex manual with much emphasis on aphrodisiacs with a forward by Carrington. Very few copies of this Carrington publication still exist.
  • The Amatory Adventures of The Lustful Turk | or | Lascivious Scenes from a Harem | faithfully and vividly depicted in a series of letters from a young and beautiful English lady to her cousin in England, Anonymous ("Paris: Privately Printed, 1904" [this is a later facsimile printing, np nd]) The Lustful Turk, or Lascivious Scenes from a Harem is a pre-Victorian British erotic epistolary novel first published anonymously in 1828. (although this edition says it is "signed 10th of April, 1868) However, it was not widely known or circulated until the 1893 edition. The novel consists largely of a series of letters written by its heroine, Emily Barlow, to her friend, Sylvia Carey. When Emily sails from England for India in June 1814 her ship is attacked by Moorish pirates and she is taken to the harem of Ali, Dey of Algiers. The Dey rapes her and subjects her to his will, awakening her sexual passions. Emily's debasement continues when the Dey insists on anal sex, arousing the horror of her correspondent Sylvia, who expresses her indignation at the Dey's behaviour, in a letter that the latter intercepts. Annoyed at her attitude, the Dey arranges for Sylvia to be abducted and brought to the slave market of Algiers. After an elaborate charade in which the Dey pretends to be a sympathetic Frenchman, bidding to save her from sexual slavery, and engaging her in a fake marriage, he deflowers her and awakens her sexuality, as he had done with Emily. Revealing his true identity the Dey enjoys both girls together. This sexual idyll is eventually terminated when a new addition to harem objects to anal rape and cuts off the Dey's penis with a knife, and then commits suicide. Seemingly unfazed by this, the Dey has "his lost members preserved in spirits of wine in glass vases" which he presents to Emily and Sylvia, sending them back to England with these tokens of his affection. The novel also incorporates interpolated stories concerning the erotic misadventures of three other girls abducted into the harem and enlarges on the fate of Emily's maid Eliza who, presented by the Dey to Muzra, Bey of Tunis, is bound, flogged and raped in turn.
  • <strong>The Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana | Translated from the Sanscrit by The Hindoo Kama Shastra Society | Complete in seven parts with Preface, Introduction, and Concluding Remarks | Illustrated</strong>, by Vatsyayana (Printed for the Society of the Friends of India 1883-1925, Benares-New York, one of 800, unnumbered) <em>6"x9", xxi+175pp, hardbound, blue boards, hand laid paper, top-edge gilt, others deckled, 8 B/W half-tone reproductions of erotic Hindu stone-sculptures with tissue guards, soiling on boards, inner pages are clean, binding is good.</em> Attributed to ancient Indian philosopher Vatsyayana, the Kama Sutra is generally believed to have been composed between 400 and 200 B.C.E. Although a portion of the work consists of practical advice on sexual intercourse, the work is primarily prose consisting of 1250 verses distributed over 36 chapters structured into seven parts. This book lists those parts as: Part I. Index, and General Consideration of the Subject Part II. Of Sexual Union Part III. About the Acquisition of a Wife Part IV. About a Wife Part V. About the Wives of Other People Part VI. About Courtezans Part VII. On the Means of Attracting Others to Oneself  
  • Musk, Hashish and Blood, Hector France, illust. Paul Avril, [trans. most likely Alfred Richard Allinson] (Walpole Press [identical to the 1899 Charles Carrington edition], London and Paris, 1900) 8.5″ X 5.5″, xiii 447pp., hardbound, green boards with gilt tittles and decorations, top-edge gilt others deckled, frontispiece with tissue guard and numerous illustrations throughout. Good condition, label pasted on the last page states “Charles Carrington, 13, Faubourg Montmartre, 13, Paris. IX.” Hector France (1837 - 1908) was a French author best known for his "orientalist" and flagellation tales. This graphic and exciting picture of the Algerian desert, its tribes and their astounding customs is a sensational recounting of France's experiences in North Africa. France tells the stories of his adventures in the nineteenth century Arab world from an eyewitness view. "The adventures of a modern man among the cruel men and passionate women of Algiers." Édouard-Henri Avril (1849-1928) used the pseudonym "Paul Avril" for his erotic work. He was a French painter and commercial artist. His career saw collaboration with influential people like Octave Uzanne, Henry Spencer Ashbee and Friedrich Karl Forberg. He is one of the most celebrated erotic artists of his age. Avril was a soldier before starting his career in art. He was awarded with the Legion of Honour for his actions in the Franco-Prussian War.
  • A Spahi’s Love-Story, Pierre Loti [pseud. Julien Viaud], illus. Robert Dean, illus. Gaston Trilleau (Charles Carrington, Paris, 1907, #17/1000) 9″ x 5.75″, xii+330pp, hardbound, yellow cloth and batik design paper over boards, tipped-in color frontispiece, hand-made paper, deckled edges, good+ condition Julien Viaud (1850-1923) was a French novelist and naval officer. This his third novel (originally titled “Le Roman d’un Spahi”), was originally published in 1881. It recounts the tragic story in the dark middle ages of a Turkish soldier, who fell in love with a woman from a far away culture with a very different background. Color frontispiece by Robert Dean tipped in and six etchings by Gaston Trilleau throughout the book.
Go to Top