The Farce of Sodom by The Right Honourable Earl of Rochester. Written for the Royall Company of Whoremasters and printed a-new upon the Three Hundredth Anniversary of the untimely Demise of our Noble Author in the thirty-third year of his Life. With Sets and Costumes suitable for Theatrical Performances designed by Donald Friend
Melbourne, Gryphon Books, 1980.
Folio (390 × 290 mm), [viii], vi, 67 pages with numerous illustrations and 19 tipped-in plates (all but one in colour) and endpaper illustrations (all by Donald Friend).
Half black morocco and purple velvet; a fine copy in the slipcase (a little marked).
'Rochester's Lyrical, lewd & licentious poems were circulated only in manuscript during his lifetime. The earliest printed Editions appeared a year after his Death. But "The Farce of Sodom" was never printed in England. For centuries its fame (or notoriety) depended on crude Continental imprints. Consequently, in England "Sodom" was a sort of obscene literary rumour, like Sullivan's ( - or was it Gilbert's?) suppressed "Sod's Opera", except to those who had privileged access to a few manuscript copies, only two of which are known to have survived until the present day. Thus this Edition is issued with a handwritten Text in keeping with the Manuscript tradition' (Editor's Note). The calligraphy is also by Donald Friend. The edition is limited to only 250 copies signed by the artist; this is number 26.
Item #98374
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