181 - LOUŸS, Pierre. Aphrodite. Moeurs antiques.

LOUŸS, Pierre. Aphrodite. Moeurs antiques. A beautiful, numbered copy, attractively bound, of this masterpiece of fin-de-siècle aesthetics, published in the year of the original edition. Paris, Mercure de France, 1896. Large 8vo, honey-colored half-maroquin, ribbed spine adorned with the title and date gilded in full, original covers preserved. XII and 332 pp. Minor scuffing on the binding, mainly on the edges and raised bands; paper slightly yellowed at the margins; a small tear in the upper corner of page 327 (table of contents). Deluxe edition published the same year as the original. Numbered copy (No. 154). A masterpiece by Pierre Louÿs, *Aphrodite* established itself upon its publication as the manifesto of the Decadent movement and fin-de-siècle aestheticism. Celebrating physical beauty through the passionate story of the courtesan Chrysis in a pagan, fantastical Alexandria, this novel enjoyed phenomenal commercial success, which explains this rapid new edition. A fine copy in a pleasant binding.