The Songs of Bilitis (English Translation) (1926)
Pierre Louys
Illustrated by Willy Pogany
Translation by Alvah C Bessie
Limited Edition of 2000 and with the signature in ink of Willy Pogany. This is number 1807.
Published by Macy- Masius, New York, 1926. Privately printed for subscribers.
Very good condition. All pages clean and secure. There are many beautiful line block illustrations by Pogany. 9 full page illustrations and with additional small illustrations for every page in the book.
£300
The Songs of Bilitis (Les Chansons de Bilitis) by Pierre Louÿs and published in Paris in 1894, is a collection of erotic poetry with strong lesbian themes. The story behind the creation of the work is intriguing and indeed, contains plenty of intrigue, as Louÿs claimed that the poems were discovered from an authentic ancient Greek source, and inscribed upon the walls of a tomb in Cyprus by Bilitis, a courtesan who was a contemporary of Sappho. It was a claim that at first convinced the experts. Eventually the deception was discovered, yet the work was seen as so remarkable a forgery and of having such worth in itself that the author was generally forgiven and the verses acclaimed as worthy evocations of Lesbian sexuality.
Louÿs made a personal dedication at the beginning:
‘This little book of antique love is respectfully dedicated to the youg ladies of the society of the future.’
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