Anger, Kenneth. (b. 1927). Hollywood Babylone. Paris: J.J. Pauvert. 1959. First Edition.
Square 8vo [18cm]. First French Edition, preceding all others by over 15 years. Text in French. Very good plus in brown wrappers, in a very good dust jacket with small losses to inner front and rear upper edge. Wear to spine extremities, loose binding thread from upper joint, some small abrasions, else very good. Together with four related volumes published by Pauvert, including L'erotisme au Cinema, parts I & II, the Almanach of 1964, and Metaphysique du Strip-Tease.
The first appearance of avant-garde filmmaker Kenneth Anger's sensationalistic, off-kilter assessment of Hollywood, packed with photos, gritty detail, and innuendo, a book that promised to reveal the real stories behind the industry’s craziest gossip, shedding light on figures like Charlie Chaplin, Rudolph Valentino, Clara Bow, and Marilyn Monroe. It was explosive, banned in the U.S. almost immediately after its release for all its salacious, potentially libelous detail, the 1966 American printing suppressed. A 1975 reissue brought it public, albeit not critical, acclaim and the book became a controversial classic of film history.
Anger, Kenneth. (b. 1927). Hollywood Babylone. Paris: J.J. Pauvert. 1959. First Edition.
Square 8vo [18cm]. First French Edition, preceding all others by over 15 years. Text in French. Very good plus in brown wrappers, in a very good dust jacket with small losses to inner front and rear upper edge. Wear to spine extremities, loose binding thread from upper joint, some small abrasions, else very good. Together with four related volumes published by Pauvert, including L'erotisme au Cinema, parts I & II, the Almanach of 1964, and Metaphysique du Strip-Tease.
The first appearance of avant-garde filmmaker Kenneth Anger's sensationalistic, off-kilter assessment of Hollywood, packed with photos, gritty detail, and innuendo, a book that promised to reveal the real stories behind the industry’s craziest gossip, shedding light on figures like Charlie Chaplin, Rudolph Valentino, Clara Bow, and Marilyn Monroe. It was explosive, banned in the U.S. almost immediately after its release for all its salacious, potentially libelous detail, the 1966 American printing suppressed. A 1975 reissue brought it public, albeit not critical, acclaim and the book became a controversial classic of film history.