Delta of Venus: Erotica by Anais Nin, with: Little Birds: Erotica by Anais Nin, with: Henry & June: From the Unexpurgated Diary of Anais Nin by Nin, Anais - 1977; 1986; 1989

New York, NY: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1977; 1986; 1989. First Edition; First Softcover Editions. Hardcover; Softcovers. Very Fine/Fine. "At the time we were all writing erotica at a dollar a page, I realized that for centuries we had had only one model for this literary genre- the writing of men. I was already conscious of a difference between the masculine and feminine treatment of sexual experience. I knew that there was a great disparity between Henry Miller's explicitness and my ambiguities- between his humorous, Rabelaisian view of sex and my poetic descriptions of sexual relationships...I had a feeling that Pandora's box contained the mysteries of woman's sensuality, so different from man's and for which man's language was inadequate." (from postscript of Preface by Anais Nin to Delta of Venus) Here we offer a bundle, or menage a trois if you will, of three classics of erotica by Anais Nin (1903-1977), the great French-Cuban-American writer most famous for her voluminous diaries & erotica from a pioneeringly female perspective (see quote above): (1) Delta of Venus: Erotica by Anais Nin (1977), first hardcover edition in dust jacket, probable later printing. With fifteen stories, most very short & several longer, esp. "Elena," which is almost novella-length; preface by Nin consisting of several vintage letters written during the early 1940s & a postscript dated September 1976 (very shortly before her death on January 14, 1977). Between pages 22-23 we found & have kept a bookmark with details about a photography exhibit held at the University of Michigan Museum of Art (n/d circa late 1970s) on one side & detail from Edward Muybridge's "Man Climbing Ladder" (1887) on reverse. This book, as well as the other two in this offering, are from the collection of poet-publisher-then UM Professor Ken Mikolowski & his late wife artist Ann Mikolowski, who founded & conducted the alternative press in Detroit & later Grindstone City, Michigan. The Press printed & published chapbooks, broadsides & myriad ephemera by many key figures of the Beat Generation, Black Mountain & New York Schools, etc.- now all sought-after by discerning collectors. (2) Little Birds: Erotica by Anais Nin (1986), first softcover (trade format) Harvest/HBJ edition, first printing as indicated on copyright page. Originally published in hardcover in 1979, with thirteen short stories & a Preface by Nin. (3) Henry & June: From the Unexpurgated Diary of Anais Nin (1989), stated first softcover (larger trade format) Harvest/HBJ edition, probable second printing. A tie-in production to promote the film version (directed by Philip Kaufman & starring Uma Thurman as June Miller). Originally published in hardcover during 1986, this volume consists of some excerpts from The Diaries of Anais Nin 1931-1934 (1966) & other heretofore unpublished diary entries, all written in the year between October 1931-1932, when Nin had intense relationships & feelings for the great expatriate American writer Henry Miller & his wife, June Miller. Edited & with a preface by Rupert Pole, Executor of the Anais Nin Trust. With images from the film & its actors on front & back covers. Three most desirable (couldn't help that) works of acclaimed Anais Nin erotica, with significant provenance. (1) Book in very fine condition with only moderate spotting at edges of text block esp. side edge; otherwise all but mint inside & out. Unclipped dust jacket in fine condition with only very mild rubbing to front, back covers & spine; very light wear & a few tiny bumps & short, faint creases at edges & corners of same; a few very small spots & one very small gauge with loss of paper to blank back cover. Bookmark ephemera in very fine condition with only a few tiny spots on writing side. (2) In very fine condition with only miniscule amount of rubbing to front, back covers & spine; a tiny bit of wear & a few tiny bumps & faint, short creases to edges &corners of same; vertical black felt remainder mark across upper edge of text block. Interior very fine with only tiny bumps at corners of a few page leaves; otherwise virtually mint. (3) In very fine condition with only very slight wear, tiny bumps & a few short, faint creases to edges & corners of front, back covers & spine. Interior very fine with only tiny bumps at corners of a few page leaves; otherwise substantially mint.