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Erotica Past & Present

Sometimes scandalous. Always collectible. Erotica has been an omnipresent aspect of literature, shaking up societal norms since ancient times. Battling censors, doing jail-time or narrowly escaping death sentences, the real-life adventures of the writers are almost as dramatic as the books themselves. It’s no wonder some of these titles are considered treasures, fetching thousands of dollars.

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The Story of OThe Story of O
Pauline Reage

The classic erotic novel, The Story of O relates the love of a beautiful Parisian fashion photographer for Rene. As part of that intense love, she demands debasement and severe sexual and psychological tests. It is a unique work not to be missed.

All Editions: $3.95 - $1734.82

 

Venus in FursVenus in Furs
Leopold Von Sacher-Masoch

First published in 1870, Venus in Furs gained for its author both notoriety and a degree of immortality when the word "masochism"--derived from his name--entered the psychiatric lexicon. The novel describes the sexual obsessions of Severin von Kusiemski, a European nobleman with the desire "to be the slave of a woman." Severin finds his ideal of voluptuous cruelty in the merciless Wanda von Dunajew

All Editions: $2.00 - $300.00

 

Story of the EyeStory of the Eye
Georges Bataille

In 1928, under a pseudonym, Georges Bataille published this first novel, a legendary shocker that uncovers the dark side of the erotic by means of forbidden obsessive fantasies of excess and sexual extremes. A classic of pornographic literature, Story of the Eye finds the parallels in Sade and Nietzsche and in the investigations of contemporary psychology; it also forecasts Bataille's own theories of ecstasy, death and transgression which he developed in later work.

All Editions: $4.99 - $5021.85

 

The Claiming of Sleeping BeautyThe Claiming of Sleeping Beauty
Anne Rice (A.N. Roquelaure)

In the traditional folk tale "Sleeping Beauty," the spell cast upon the lovely young princess and everyone in her castle can only be broken by the kiss of a Prince. Anne Rice's retelling of the Beauty story probes the unspoken implications of this lush, suggestive tale by exploring its undeniable connection to sexual desire.

All Editions: $4.28 - $18.26

 

Under the Pomegranate TreeUnder the Pomegranate Tree: The Best New Latino Erotica
Ray Gonzalez

Sensual, diverse, and electrifying, the first major collection of Latino erotica redefines our perceptions of Latin American and U.S. Latino writers. By turns suggestive and explicit, Under the Pomegranate Tree is woven within a framework of fantasies, dreams, and memory. Brought together from a wide-ranging group of contributors, the stories, essays, and poems in this rich anthology emerge as a vibrant force for breaking social barriers and capturing our collective imaginations.

All Editions: $6.00 - $20.00

The 120 Days of Sodom and Other WritingsThe 120 Days of Sodom and Other Writings
Marquis de Sade

The Marquis de Sade, vilified by respectable society from his own time through ours, apotheosized by Apollinaire as "the freest spirit that has yet existed," wrote The 120 Days of Sodom while imprisoned in the Bastille. An exhaustive catalogue of sexual aberrations and the first systematic exploration -- a hundred years before Krafft-Ebing and Freud -- of the psychopathology of sex, it is considered Sade's crowning achievement and the cornerstone of his thought. Lost after the storming of the Bastille in 1789, it was later retrieved but remained unpublished until 1935.

All Editions: $5.50 - $173.48

 

The Amorous Exploits of a Young RakehellThe Amorous Exploits of a Young Rakehell
Guillaume Apollinaire

Guillaume Apollinaire's account of a 15-year-old budding libertine's summer on the farm, where he congresses with maids, servants, passersby, an aunt and finally a sister, while outside the manor peasants go for creatures of the four-legged variety, is a classic unparalleled in its content, brevity and wit.

All Editions: $5.00 - $228.27

 

The Sex Chronicles: Shattering the MythThe Sex Chronicles: Shattering the Myth
Zane

From a bold and captivating voice comes a collection of stories that probes women's darkest passions and pushes the boundaries of erotic fiction. Sometimes romantic, sometimes raw, Zane appeals to men and women alike with these tales of intoxicating sensuality.

All Editions: $10.44 - $20.07

 

The Mammoth Book of Illustrated EroticaThe Mammoth Book of Illustrated Erotica

As artful as it is exciting, as tasteful as it is daring, this up-market illustrated Mammoth volume offers a massive gallery of stunning images by eighty photographers who have set the trends in nude photography and made a mark with their erotica in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe.

All Editions: $4.95 - $20.00

 

Best Woman's Erotica 2004Best Women's Erotica 2004

Loved by both readers and critics, Best Women's Erotica is simply the smartest, sexiest women's erotica collection available, presenting stories that have raised the bar for women's erotic writing. For 2004, editor Marcy Sheiner has gathered a superb batch of passionate stories that explore the variety and emotional depth of female sexual desire.

All Editions: $10.66 - $34.27