Story of O. with an essay by Jean Paulhan of the Académie Française

London: The Olympia Press, 1965. First UK edition. Hardcover. Near Fine in Near Fine Dustjacket. First UK edition. Hardcover. An erotic novel written by French author Anne Desclos under the pen name Pauline Réage. "Desclos' lover and employer Jean Paulhan, a fervent admirer of the Marquis de Sade, had made the remark to her that no woman was capable of writing an erotic novel. To prove him wrong, Desclos wrote a graphic, sadomasochistic novel that was published under the pseudonym Pauline Réage in June 1954. Titled Histoire d'O (Story of O), with a sympathetic preface by Jean Paulhan which nevertheless did not reveal her identity, it was an enormous, though controversial, commercial success. In addition, the book's graphic content sparked so much controversy that the following March the government authorities brought obscenity charges against the publisher and its mysterious author that were thrown out of court in 1959. However, a publicity ban and a restriction on the book's sale to minors was imposed by the judge. Eventually, Desclos publicly admitted that she was the author of The Story of O in 1994, 40 years after the book was published. She also explained the pseudonym of Pauline Réage: she chose the first name in homage to Pauline Bonaparte and Pauline Roland and she randomly picked up the name of Réage on a topographic map." Only one OCLC listing for this edition. Light rubbing, bumped corners, else tight, bright, and unmarred in near fine unclipped dustjacket.