The curse of the Marquis de Sade : a notorious scoundrel, a mythical manuscript, and the biggest scandal in literary history
(Book)

Book Cover
Average Rating
Published
New York : Crown, [2023].
ISBN
9780593135686, 0593135687
Status

Description

Loading Description...

Also in this Series

Checking series information...

Copies

LocationCall NumberStatus
Addison Public Library - 2nd Floor - Adult Books364.163 WAROn Shelf
Alsip-Merrionette Park Public Library District - Stacks364.16 WAROn Shelf
Bensenville Community Public Library District - Nonfiction364.162 WAROn Shelf
Berwyn Public Library - Stacks364.163 WAROn Shelf
Bridgeview Public Library - Stacks364.163 WAROn Shelf
Show All Copies

More Like This

Loading more titles like this title...

More Details

Published
New York : Crown, [2023].
Format
Book
Physical Desc
xv, 281 pages : map ; 25 cm
Language
English
ISBN
9780593135686, 0593135687

Notes

Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 259-266) and index.
Description
"The captivating, deeply reported true story of how one of the most notorious novels ever written-Marquis de Sade's 120 Days of Sodom-landed at the heart of one of the biggest scams in modern literary history. Described as both "one of the most important novels ever written" and "the gospel of evil," 120 Days of Sodom was penned by the Marquis de Sade, a notorious eighteenth-century aristocrat who waged a campaign of mayhem and debauchery across France, evaded his own execution, and inspired the word "sadism," the term for receiving pleasure from pain. But of all his crimes, Sade considered 120 Days of Sodom his greatest transgression. Composed in the bowels of the Bastille in Paris, the tiny scroll on which it was written would embark on a centuries-spanning odyssey across Europe, passing from nineteenth-century banned book collectors to pioneering sex researchers to avant-garde artists and hidden away from Nazi book burnings. In 2014, the world heralded its return to France when it was purchased for millions by Gérard Lhéritier, the self-made son of a plumber who had used his savvy business skills to upend France's renowned rare book market. But soon the sale brought to light festering government vendettas, feuding antiquarian booksellers, manuscript sales derailed by sabotage, a record-breaking lottery jackpot, and allegations of a decade-long billion-euro con, the specifics of which, if true, would make the scroll part of France's largest-ever Ponzi scheme. Told with gripping reporting and flush with deceit and scandal, The Curse of the Marquis weaves together the sweeping odyssey of 120 Days of Sodom and the spectacular rise and fall of Lhéritier, once the "King of Manuscripts" and now known to many as the Bernie Madoff of France. At its center is an urgent question for all those who cherish the written word: As the age of handwriting comes to an end, what do we owe the original texts left behind?"--,Provided by publisher.

Reviews from GoodReads

Loading GoodReads Reviews.

Citations

APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)

Warner, J. (2023). The curse of the Marquis de Sade: a notorious scoundrel, a mythical manuscript, and the biggest scandal in literary history (First edition.). Crown.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Warner, Joel, 1978-. 2023. The Curse of the Marquis De Sade: A Notorious Scoundrel, a Mythical Manuscript, and the Biggest Scandal in Literary History. Crown.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Warner, Joel, 1978-. The Curse of the Marquis De Sade: A Notorious Scoundrel, a Mythical Manuscript, and the Biggest Scandal in Literary History Crown, 2023.

MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)

Warner, Joel. The Curse of the Marquis De Sade: A Notorious Scoundrel, a Mythical Manuscript, and the Biggest Scandal in Literary History First edition., Crown, 2023.

Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.

Staff View

Loading Staff View.