Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. New York: Charles L. Webster, 1885.

Naughtiest

Huckleberry Finn

In November 1884, when book salesmen were beginning the marketing of Mark Twain’s latest novel in a door-to-door campaign, an error was discovered in the illustrations. Uncle Silas appears in the illustration to be "exposing himself." The salesmen’s prospectuses were recalled for correction. Mark Twain’s publisher offered a five hundred dollar reward for the person behind the "colorful addition" to the plate, but the culprit was never found. The printers were forced to correct the plate using a re-engraved picture. This volume contains the less flattering view of Uncle Silas.

F.J.

Sports Photograph

Charlottesville photographer Rufus Holsinger took pictures of every aspect of the Charlottesville community. His studio was in operation from 1890 to the 1930s. His collection includes a series of pictures of athletic teams from the University of Virginia. Here, a photo of Edward E. Hindsmith taken on March 3, 1915, displays the range of Holsinger’s subjects.

F.J.

Leaudeaux, Henri. The Reckoning Lady. Paris: Privately Printed, the Le Roy Press, [193-?].

The Reckoning Lady

One of the scores of privately printed pornographic novels published in Paris in the early twentieth century, and sold to tourists who then attempted to smuggle them into the United States. The United States Customs Service confiscated thousands of novels like The Reckoning Lady. This copy was a gift to the Library.

G.R.

Sacher-Masoch, Leopold, Ritter von. Venus in Furs. New York: Privately Printed for Subscribers Only, 1928.

Venus in Furs

This first American translation of Sacher-Masoch’s lurid tale of dominance and submission, Venus in Furs gave birth to the appellation "masochism," as similarly the word "sadism" was derived from the name of the infamous Marquis de Sade.

G.R.

Eros. A serial publication devoted to issues of and about sex. 

Marilyn Monroe

This short-lived publication by Ralph Ginzburg was created in the early sixties. This cover displays the last studio portraits of Marilyn Monroe, taken a few short weeks before her death.

F.J.

Little ‘Dirty’ Comics. San Diego: Socio Library, 1971.

Dirty Comics

This is a compilation of some of the popular strips that comprised the "Tijuana Bibles" that were prevalent during the Great Depression. Included are pornographic renderings of popular comic characters such as Popeye, Blondie and Dagwood, and Little Orphan Annie.

G.R.