238 - RESTIF DE LA BRETONNE, Nicolas-Edme. *Le Pornographe*.

RESTIF DE LA BRETONNE, Nicolas-Edme. *Le Pornographe*. Brussels, Gay and Doucé, 1879. In-8 (19.5 x 12 cm), paperback volume. LVII-213 pp. Split spine; fragile volume. A critical edition of this manifesto advocating for the regulation of prostitution, written by Restif de La Bretonne, whose passion for women led him to frequent prostitutes assiduously. It was first published in 1769. This edition is preceded by a study by Hippolyte Mireur (57 pp.), a 19th-century French physician who also authored several works on the subject (Syphilis and Prostitution in Their Relationship to Hygiene, Morality, and the Law (1875); *Prostitution in Marseille* (1882)). Printed on laid paper in a limited edition of 600 copies, all numbered (No. 191). This draft regulation on prostitution is unique in its literary form, as Restif uses letters to Madame des Tianges to detail the situation of prostitutes. The author’s main thesis is as follows: since prostitution appears to be a necessary evil, it must be controlled through the creation of specialized establishments, supervised by the police and doctors, and administered in such a way as to guarantee a home for the children of sex workers. What is most surprising to the reader is to discover that the author has established rules for everything: food, laundry, hygiene... The second part addresses the situation of prostitution in several European countries and cities. The volume is complemented by a complete portrait in bistre, etched by Chauvet, as the frontispiece.