The Obsession
New York: V.I.T.R.I.O.L., 1986. 1st Edition. Small quarto, publisher's stiff bronze paper wraps lettered in black, original stiff white dust jacket lettered in bronze.
Inscribed first edition of New York writer and sex worker Terence Sellers’s second book, a novel of unrequited love written in the style of the French Symbolist poets, illustrated with etchings by Carl Apfelschnitt. Born in DC, Sellers moved to New York in 1973 and soon became a fixture at the Mudd Club, befriending the likes of Anya Phillips, Kathy Acker, Amos Poe, Jimmy De Sana, and Duncan Hannah, and began working as a professional dominatrix under the name Angel Stern. Inspired by Baudelaire, Dostoevsky, and the French surrealists, Sellers predominantly wrote about sadomasochism, violence, fantasy, and the occult. A Philadelphia-born abstract painter, Apfelschnitt was a leading artist in the downtown New York scene during the 1970s and 80s. A friend and influence to William Burroughs, Kate Simon, and Sellers, he died from AIDS-related complications in 1990. Published by small press V.I.T.R.I.O.L. (Visita Interiora Terrae Rectificando Invenies Occultum Lapidem), active in New York from 1982-90. Inscribed by Sellers to the half-title: "To Suzanne and Jeff: / Read in small doses / Hope your private obsession continues / Best Terence / Sept. 1987." The recipient is New York poet, lyricist, and musician Jeff Goldberg, who published the influential underground literary magazines Contact and Traveler’s Digest, and his wife Suzanne. Illustrated in black-and-white. Unclipped dust jacket with moderate soiling. Very good. Item #11381
$200.00