Controversial and rare books of erotic literature which should not exist, written by a man whose extreme sexual behaviour created the word sadism, are expected to sell for thousands of pounds at auction.
Though published anonymously in 1797, the six volumes are the work of French nobleman, politician, philosopher and writer Marquis de Sade, a man who shocked society with his no-holds-barred sexual antics. He was declared insane in 1803 and the words sadism and sadist are derived from his name.
Such was the horror sparked by the contents of the books, entitled Justine, the French royal court, the Cour Royale de Paris, ordered their destruction in 1815. In addition, French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte ordered the arrest of the anonymous author. Consequently, de Sade was incarcerated for the last 13 years of his life.
Six (of ten) volumes by Marquis de Sade, each illustrated with numerous engraved plates depicting sexual acts, will be sold at Hansons Auctioneers’ Library Auction at Bishton Hall, Staffordshire, on October 15. Written while de Sade was imprisoned in the Bastille, their estimate is £3,000-£5,000.
Jim Spencer, head of the Library department at Hansons, which saw a sex manual from 1720 sell for £3,100 in March, said: “These books should simply not be in existence. Their content was deemed too shocking. All copies should have been destroyed. However, a few books survived and we found these volumes by chance in London. They were thought to be worthless and a note in one of the books showed they had been rejected as having no value by one auction house 20 years ago.
“Though these books are more than 220 years old and times have changed considerably, it’s still impossible not to be very, very shocked by the contents. For example, they include pictures illustrating sexual acts with monkeys.”
Sade, lived a scandalous libertine existence and repeatedly procured young prostitutes as well as employees of both sexes in his castle in Lacoste.
The nobleman, who lived from 1740 to 1814, claimed to be a proponent of absolute freedom, unrestrained by morality, religion or law.
His erotic works, which combine philosophy with pornography, depict sexual fantasies with an emphasis on violence, suffering, criminality and blasphemy against Christianity.
He gained notoriety for putting these fantasies into practice with both consenting and non-consenting people. Consequently, he spent around 32 years of his life in various prisons and asylums for the insane including 10 years in the Bastille and 12 years in the Charenton Asylum. Many of his works were written in prison.
Mr Spencer said: “There has always been a deep fascination with Sade’s life and work. There have been numerous film adaptations of his work and sadistic tendencies are common in many books including 50 Shades of Grey.
“Whether people are repulsed or fascinated by Sade, the sale of these volumes is sure to spark interest from collectors around the world for their scarcity value alone. After his death, Sade’s son had all his father’s remaining unpublished manuscripts burned.”
Marquis de Sade’s six (of ten) volumes, Justine: La Nouvelle Justine, ou Les Malheurs de la Vertu, suivie de l’Histoire de Juliette, sa soeur, will be sold at Hansons Auctioneers Library Auction on October 15 at Bishton Hall, Wolseley Bridge, Staffordshire. To find out more email [email protected], bid online at www.the-saleroom.com or call 01283 733988. The Library Auction is part of Hansons’ Autumn Jewellery and Fine Art Auction, incorporating the sale of Bishton Hall’s contents and the Attic Auction. The events run from October 10-16. To find out more, visit www.hansonsauctioneers.co.uk.
