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The Romance of Lust: Complete Edition, Volumes I–IV
With a Foreword and Introductions by Dante Remy
 
A Forbidden Classic, Fully Restored
Enter the secret world of Victorian desire in The Romance of Lust, the most notorious erotic novel of the 19th century—now presented in its complete, unabridged form for the first time. Published anonymously between 1873 and 1876 in four discreet volumes, this bold and boundary-shattering narrative was whispered about in drawing rooms, banned by censors, and coveted by collectors for generations. With its richly detailed scenes of taboo passion and its unapologetic exploration of transgressive desire, The Romance of Lust became the blueprint for modern erotic fiction—both scandalous and psychologically revealing.
 
This deluxe edition from Black Fern includes all four volumes in one beautifully restored set, complete with a new foreword and individual volume introductions by Dante Remy, literary historian and editor of The Anthology of Erotic Narrative series. Remy situates the novel within its historical and cultural context, revealing how it reflected—and subverted—the rigid moral codes of the Victorian age. Beneath its provocative surface, readers will discover a work of surprising literary sophistication, brimming with insight into the power dynamics of pleasure, control, and secrecy.
 
A Journey into the Erotic Psyche
The novel follows Charles, a privileged young man whose sexual awakening sparks a cascade of encounters that range from tender initiation to wild excess. In Volume I, he seduces and is seduced in a world where family boundaries blur and innocence is a fleeting illusion. Volume II expands the cast of lovers and settings, from intimate parlors to extravagant orgies, deepening the portrait of a man consumed by lust and the women—and men—who share his appetites.
 
Volume III becomes a theater of pleasure and power, with costumed fantasies, shifting loyalties, and sensual rituals that both titillate and disturb. By Volume IV, the pace accelerates into a whirlwind of erotic abandon, yet traces of self-reflection emerge. Beneath the orgiastic excess, The Romance of Lust begins to expose the ache beneath insatiable pleasure, offering a haunting final portrait of libertinism unmoored from love or consequence.
 
Why This Edition Matters
Unlike censored or fragmented versions that have circulated for decades, this complete edition preserves every word of the original text, offering readers the full scope of its audacity and literary ambition. Dante Remy’s introductions provide valuable context for understanding the novel’s structure, themes, and enduring influence. For readers of Anaïs Nin, Sade, Bataille, and the best of contemporary erotica, The Romance of Lust belongs in the canon—not hidden away, but proudly displayed.
 
A must-have for connoisseurs of erotic literature, lovers of forbidden classics, and anyone intrigued by the sensual undercurrents of history, this edition is more than a book—it is a portal into the secret desires of a bygone world.
 
From Black Fern—publishers of beautifully restored classic and contemporary erotic literature. An imprint of Erosetti Press.

Indulge in the legacy. Own the lust.