Les véritables chansons de Bilitis [The Real Songs of Bilitis]

Paris: Maurice Duflou, 1937. Softcover. Limited Edition, one of 300 numbered copies (this being No. 250). Text in French.

A collection of 143 erotic poems credited to "Bilitis," having been purportedly discovered on the walls of a tomb in Cyprus and translated by Pierre Louÿs from Ancient Greek—but in reality penned entirely by Louÿs himself. Louÿs claimed Bilitis was a contemporary of Sappho, and accordingly, many of the poems share Sapphic themes, and the book is today considered a classic of both erotic literature and lesbian fiction. Louÿs' creation also inspired the name of first civil rights organization for lesbians in the United States: the Daughters of Bilitis, founded in San Francisco in 1955.

Very Good or better in perfect-bound wrappers, with moderate toning to the extremities, reader's creases to the spine, and a slight lean.

[Book #173431]