18 x 12cm, 60 pp. Original wrappers. Loose signatures. First edition of this privately printed and remarkably notorious "story of damask illusion".

The title translates as "A sexual nocturne" and is a tale of a man recalling his early encounters with sexuality and sexual language, a rendezvous in a bordello ("one of those high moments that convinces us to put off suicide") and other incidents that shaped his erotic history.

Edice 69 books were never available for sale; they were exclusively available to subscribers and friends. The company consisted of Styrsky as editor with Toyen for the most part. This book and Styrsky's EMILIE PRICHAZI KE MNE VE SNU (Emily Comes to Me in a Dream) constitute the most important of the series of which there would be only six volumes in all.

In these issues Toyen would express herself with the least inhibitions of frank sexuality, a factor never far from her central concerns throughout her oeuvre, and Styrsky a complex, multilayered self-confession. Styrsky was the more obsessive of the two and more attracted to kinkiness and the downright weird. Nezval's participation in Edice 69 was limited to this one release. It is oft cited as one of Nezval's worst books but the text serves as a platform for the visual content, which is also true of all the issues of Edice 69.

All of the participants in the publishing venture shared the conviction to employ art as a means to eroticise the world, overcoming the throes of 19th century morality and thus self-releasing into freedom; they were social critics and shared strong leftist sympathies, pushing the boundaries of conventional reality through eroticism. The collages by Styrsky are some of his most startling and outrageous, conveying psychological twists and biographical messages in a zany humour.

This is nr 83 of 138 numbered copies ie 2 x 69 - half of the edition was hand coloured and is very, very rarely encountered - and this example is in very good condition with some marks on the wrappers . Exceptionally rare and desirable. 

21 x 17.5cm, 104pp plus original wrappers and dust jacket. 36 b/w plates illustrating the entire range of the 36 artists displayed in this state sponsored show - the first of its kind in the UK. There is an interesting historical essay in English by Kamil Novotny - and many of the most important artists from the constuctivist and surrealist schools are included in the show: Sima, Capek (J), Styrsky, Tichy, Dvorak amongst others (but no Toyen interestingly). 148 works in the exhibition are listed. Slight tears to dj but otherwise very good.

15 x 10.5cm, 2pp photographic postcard with a portrait of the two artist relaxing in an exhibition space. VG+.

27.5 x 19cm, 244pp plus boards with tipped on motif label. First edition of this collection of Czech first world war war poems covering the period 1914 - 1918. Includes works by Neumann, Salda, Dyk, Sova amongst others and illustrated throughout by Kupka, Gotfreund, Bartos, Filla and others hors texte. Short essays by Novotny. Typography and design by Jindrich Styrsky. Paper slightly browned and the binding is slightly torn inside the boards showing a little of the inner spine but otherwise very good.

22 x 14.5cm, 316pp Original boards with pictorial dustjacket with a design after painting by Jindrich Styrsky. DJ is tatty around edges with minor paper loss top and bottom of spine and some closed tears elsewhere as well as rubbed - otherwise internally very good. Priced thus.

23.5 x 18cm, 62pp. Original boards with pictorial dustjacket. First edition thus of this translation of the Song of Songs as translated by V. Nezval and with an afterword by Jan Rypka. Illustrated by 4 tipped on full colour lithographs after oriental paintings the book was designed by Stysrky in an unusual (for him) traditional style. Limitation not known. Very good in slightly chipped dustjacket.

18 x 13cm, 157 pages plus original wrappers and dj. First edition of Eluard's collected poems in Czech accompanied by 4 b/w illustrations, including 3 full page plates by Picasso, Man Ray and Styrsky; Man Ray's frontispiece is a portrait of Eluard. Styrsky's contribution is an original collage. The dust jacket has an original colour design by Karel Teige. Internally near fine, the dust jacket has minor chipping at top and bottom but overall a very good + copy of this scarce book.

20.2 x 13.5cm, 342pp. Original wrappers. A collection of the works of KH Macha the 19th century Czech poet who died in his twenties during an act of heroism saving people from a fire. A figure of melancholic romanticism which inspired Styrsky and the Czech avantgarde but was, much to the disgust of the former grouping, idealised by more mainstream poets leading eventually to the publication by Nezval, Toyen and Styrsky of Ani Labut Ani Luna (Neither swan nor moon) in 1936. Here the typography is by Vit Obrtel (1901-1988) who was a founder member of Devetsil with Teige in 1922 and perhaps the most minimalist of the group.

This is an unnumbered copy aside from the 300 copies on Japon and the 50 du tete copes on Van Gelder. Minor wear to wrappers, some production creases to spine but really a very good ++. Scarce.

Uniformly 20 x 14cm, pagination varies c. 160 - 200pp per book. Original photomontage wrappers. A small collection of 10 individual books from a series of foreign writers translated into Czech (some for the first time) - the books are notable for the covers all of which have a similar style. SOme edge and spine wear but mostly VG.

PRICE IS FOR ALL 10 PAPERBACKS AS A GROUP.

30 x 21cm, 49 pp, loosely bound leaves in printed folder with a cover design and typography by the architect Vita Obrtela. Tipped on photographic reproduction of the death mask of the poet. A selection of poems by the surrealist published four years after his death. Internally near fine in torn paper folder (no significant paper loss).

21.5 x 14cm, 272pp. Place ribbon. Cloth boards with dustjacket. First edition of this translated study of the province of Bar-El-Gazal (part of the Sudan) with a typographic design by Kahouta and book design by Jindrich Styrsky . 48 b/w reproductions of photographs of the peoples of the region and landscapes at the end of the book. Presumably missing the card slipcase (albeit that was usually blank with only a title label) but otherwise near fine.

21.5 x 14cm, 252pp. Place ribbon. Cloth boards with dustjacket and card slipcase with title label. First edition thus of this translated novel with a typographic design by Kahouta and book design by Jindrich Styrsky. Fine in like slipcase.