Very Rare 1901 Symonds Sexual Inversion Gay Homosexual A. Edward Newton's Copy
$ 52.8
Description
VERY RARE 1901 SYMONDS SEXUAL INVERSION GAY HOMOSEXUAL A. EDWARD NEWTON'S COPY. John Addington Symonds Jr. (5 October 1840 – 19 April 1893) was an English poet and literary critic. OFFERED HERE is the famous book collector A.Edward Newton's copy of a rare self published first edition, A Problem in Greek Ethics, being an inquiry into the Phenomenon of Sexual Inversion, Addressed specifically to Medical Psychologists and Jurists. By John Addington Symonds, self published in London, 1901. Bound in period leather, 9x5 inches, 73 pages. Note A. Edward Newton left two items in the book, his bookplate and an accession sheet, noting he acquired the book in April 1909 from Walter Hill. Some edgewear, gilt titles. There was an 1883 edition of only 10 copies, certainly not obtainable now. This edition was limited to only 100 copies, for private circulation, and the type was distributed, meaning they could not make any more printings. A Problem in Greek Ethics is a late 19th-century essay by John Addington Symonds that analyzes male homosexual relationships (paiderastia) in ancient Greece, arguing they were a culturally valued and integral part of society, not just tolerated but seen as spiritually and educationally beneficial. It was a pioneering work that explored the historical and ethical dimensions of same-sex love, challenging Victorian norms and influencing later studies on sexuality, including Sexual Inversion, co-authored with Havelock Ellis. John Addington Symonds Jr. (5 October 1840 – 19 April 1893) was an English poet and literary critic. A cultural historian, he was known for his work on the Renaissance, as well as numerous biographies of writers and artists. Although married with children, Symonds supported male love, which he believed could include pederastic as well as egalitarian relationships, referring to it as l'amour de l'impossible (love of the impossible). He also wrote much poetry inspired by his same-sex affairs.
