Under The Hill And Other Essays In Prose And Verse. Beardsley, Aubrey.

First edition, first impression, of this posthumous collection of Beardsley's writing, also featuring previously unpublished drawings. Appearing alongside Beardsley's poems and letters is the titular story, his unfinished erotic novel based on the legend of Tannhäuser. At the time it was considered so explicit as to be unpublishable except in expurgated form. Beardsley (1872-1898) turned to the Tannhäuserlied as a project in which he could both display his literary prowess and have creative control over the relationship between the text and the illustrations. This popular myth of decadence and remorse inspired various creative endeavours in the last decade of the 19th century, such as Wagner's opera. Beardsley transposed his version of the story to 18th-century France, but his treatment became increasingly pornographic. This was to such an extent that when Leonard Smithers printed it in the magazine on which they collaborated, The Savoy, it was only with the offending passages removed. The edition at hand is similarly cut, but it adds several additional illustrations which did not appear in The Savoy. Three additional sketches which had yet to be published are also included at the rear of the volume. Lasner 141. Quarto. Original blue cloth, spine lettered in gilt, front board elaborately decorated in gilt, top edge gilt, others untrimmed. Frontispiece after photograph of Beardsley at Mentone, 14 plates with captioned tissue guards and 2 tailpieces after Beardsley, title page printed in red and black. Spine gently rolled, minor bumps and rubbing to extremities, gilt bright. A near-fine copy.