The sexual extremities of the world / Iwan Bloch.

  • Bloch, Iwan, 1872-1922.
Date:
[1964], ©1964
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The sexual extremities of the world / Iwan Bloch. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    354/360 (page 354)
    THE SEXUAL EXTREMITIES 1111 r 1111111:11111111111111 r 1111111111111111111! 1111 someness of edition. These erotic bibliographies have been continually employed throughout this book. They are the following: 1. Index Librorum Prohibitorum: being Notes Bio-Biblio-Iconographi- cal and Critical on Curious and Uncommon Books. This volume of 542 pages contains chiefly bibliographical specimens, all the works of E. Sellon, John Davenport, bibliography of the Essay on Woman, and numerous books on flagellation. 2. Centuria Librorum Absconditorum: Being Notes Bio-Biblio-Icono- graphical and Critical on Curious and Uncommon Books. This volume contains, among other things, numerous works on Catholic casuistry appertaining to sex, and Rowlandson's obscene pictures, Rochester's Sodom, etc. 3. Catena Librorum Tacendorum: Being Notes Bio-Biblio-Iconograph- ical and Critical on Curious and Uncommon Books. This volume contains a bibliography of various writings of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries on various sexual relationships, Cleland's works, a list of Spanish erotica and varia. No one who pretends to be a serious student of books can afford not to read these bibliographic masterpieces, especially the classic introduc- tions to each volume, the reprinting of which is strongly to be desired in view of the rarity of the works. Before he undertook his task he made a careful study of the bibliographic methods of his predecessors; he was a thorough student of Bayle, Querard Lacrox, Brunet, Gay, Hayn, etc. He raised bibliography to the rank of a science—which must purvey actual knowledge of the contents as well as of the externals for a book. It was Southey who said that next to writing an epic poem was the talent to appreciate one, and Fraxi thought this remark most appropriate to bibli- ography. Not many are sufficiently competent, however fond of books, adequately to catalogue, describe and classify them. Fraxi conceived the task of bibliography to lie in extracting from books their pith and mar- row, and to put the same in a useful, convenient and readable form for a lasting and trustworthy record. This, he insisted, was a noble and elevat- ing pursuit which requires tact, delicacy, discrimination, perspicuity, not to mention patience and untiring assiduity.