First 1991 English-language softcover edition, volume 3, of Italian illustrator Guido Crepax's famous graphic adaptation of The Story of O, one of the most famous erotic novels of all time, by French literary critic, journalist, and novelist, Anne Cécile Desclos (1907—1998), under the pen name Pauline Réage. A beautiful display of Crepax's dizzying, rhythmic paneling and beautiful, erotically-charged ink work, as imaginative as the literary work of Réage.

"A rare thing, a pornographic book well written and without a trace of obscenity"—Graham Greene.

Guido Crepas (15 July 1933 in Milan - 31 July 2003 in Milan), better known by his nom de plume Guido Crepax, was an Italian comics artist. He studied at the School of Architecture at the University of Milan. After graduating, he made his debut in comic books in 1959 when he contributed his work to Tempo Medico. He joined the new magazine Linus in 1965 with a fantasy comic, 'Neutron', a superhero comic about an art critic with the mysterious power to stop humans or objects via his gaze. It featured a minor character called Valentina, a fashionable, communist Milanese photographer born in 1942, who quickly became Crepax's protagonist and his most famous creation. Valentina became an underground icon of 1960s culture. Crepax's work became noted for his very sophisticated expressionistic yet graphic drawing style, his truely innovative panel work and his unusual compositions that seemed to have more in common with modern art and film than comic strips. His psychedelic, dreamlike storylines were immersive, generally involving a strong dose of erotism and a predilection towards sadomasochism and the surreal. After 'Valentina', other titles followed, such as 'L'Astronave Pirata' (1968), 'La Casa Matta' (1969), 'La Calata di Mac Similiano' (1969), 'Belinda', 'Anita' and 'Bianca'. Crepax's illustrated adaptations of classic erotic stories like De Sade's 'Justine', Pauline Réage's 'Histoire d'O' and Sacher-Masoch's 'Venus in Furs' brought him further acclaim, especially to English audiences who had mostly only read translated Crepax through the pages of Heavy Metal magazine.

Very Good copy.

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