Harold; A Drama with Erotic Fore-edge Painting
October 20, 2026
This copy of Alfred, Lord Tennyson's "Harold; A Drama" holds a very unusual secret... At first glance it appears normal, finely bound in full leather with fancy full geometric gilt designs on backstrip and both front and rear boards. Although it is completely invisible when one has the book in hand, if the book is gently pushed a bit askew, one can see on the lengthwise fore-edge - i.e., the edges of the pages on the side parallel to the spine - there will suddenly appear an original full-color painting showing a green field with fence and sheep and a man with a black hat fornicating (a soldier? a bishop?) with a mostly clothed maiden on top of a drum. The picture is roughy 6 inches long by an inch high. The painting itself is in fine condition and of high quality with surprisingly fine detail. The book itself is Very Near Fine, one half-inch closed tear on front blank end paper and a small spot on end paper from glue residue. No owner marks. Text is clean and bright as new.
London 1877 Henry S. King. Hardcover. Hardcover. 12mo (4-1/2 x 6 1/2 inches), 161pp., 4pp. (ads).
Item a52001