Dühren / Octave Uzanne - Le Marquis de Sade et son Temps - 1901

An exceptionally rare deluxe edition, limited to just 100 copies, of one of the early scholarly studies of the Marquis de Sade. Published in 1901, this work by the Berlin physician and sexologist Iwan Bloch, issued under the pseudonym Eugène Dühren, is one of the important early contributions to the history of sexology. Particularly noteworthy is this hand-numbered copy, no. 95, printed on large-format Dutch handmade paper.

Dühren, Eugène (pseudonym of Iwan Bloch). Le Marquis de Sade et son Temps. Études relatives à l'histoire de la civilisation et des mœurs du XVIIIme siècle. Translated from the German by Dr. A. Weber-Riga. With a preface: L'Idée de Sadisme et l'Érotologie Scientifique, by Octave Uzanne.
Berlin, H. Barsdorf, and Paris, A. Michalon, 1901. XXVIII, 501 pages, 1 leaf. First French edition, published simultaneously with the first German edition. One of only 100 hand-numbered copies of the deluxe edition on large-format Dutch handmade paper, this being no. 95. Contemporary decorative half-leather binding with ornamental spine tooling, gilt spine lettering, multicolored marbled boards, and matching marbled endpapers. FOLIO 29 x 21 cm
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The Berlin physician and sexologist Iwan Bloch (1872–1922), who published under the pseudonym Eugène Dühren, was one of the pioneers of modern sexology. His extensive study of the Marquis de Sade combines an account of his life and work with a cultural-historical analysis of the social, moral, and sexual conditions of the eighteenth century. Bloch does not consider de Sade solely as a literary exception, but seeks to explain his writings and ideas in light of the historical circumstances of his time.

The work is of particular significance as an early scholarly examination of sadism and the history of human sexuality. Bloch explores the connections between literature, social norms, power, and sexual behavior, addressing questions that would become fundamental to later sexology. The lengthy French preface by the writer and bibliophile Octave Uzanne (1851–1931) expands the study with reflections on the origins of the concept of sadism and the scientific study of eroticism.

The exceptionally small print run of this deluxe edition is of particular interest to bibliophiles. While the regular copies were issued in standard bindings, only 100 copies were printed on large-format Dutch handmade paper and numbered by hand. The substantial paper, with its characteristic deckle edges, and the generous page layout give the work a decidedly impressive appearance. Together with its decorative contemporary half-leather binding, it is a notable collectible relating to literary and cultural history, as well as to the early history of sexology.
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Binding with only slight signs of wear. Occasional light browning or foxing internally; otherwise largely clean and in good condition. Overall, an attractive and particularly rare copy of this deluxe edition, limited to just 100 hand-numbered copies.