The Curse of the Marquis de Sade

Praise

“Fans of John Carreyrou’s Bad Blood or Billion Dollar Loser by Reeves Wiedeman will probably enjoy the final thread of The Curse of the Marquis de Sade. . . . Warner excels at explaining Lhéritier’s complex— and possibly criminal—business operations in easy-to-understand language. And his depiction of France’s lively rare-manuscript community is a fascinating look at a largely hidden subculture.”—The Washington Post

“Readers who dare to open The Curse of the Marquis de Sade: A Notorious Scandal, a Mythical Manuscript, and the Biggest Scandal in Literary History will find something for everyone. Inventively assembled by Joel Warner, the book’s time-jumping chapters offer a gentleman’s guide to ungentlemanly behavior.”—Air Mail

“Lively . . . Aristophil’s downfall reads like the best kind of business thriller. . . . Warner writes like a man having fun with his subject.” —The Times

“Warner’s research and extensive interviews help him shuttle across centuries to depict remarkable characters. . . . Warner doesn’t let infamy flatten Sade’s dimensions.”—New York Times Book Review

“A fascinating literary scandal. . . . a strange and fantastical journey involving a level of criminality that rivaled the life of Sade himself.”—Slate

“Fascinating.”—The Free Lance-Star (Fredericksburg)

“Dazzling . . . Warner’s story is a tightly woven braid of three connected themes: a history of the racier aspects of European bibliophilia, a morality tale about rapacity in the art world of recent history, and, finally, the life, work and changing reputation of Sade himself.”—The Telegraph

“Compelling . . . so rich in detail . . . obviously meticulously researched.”—The Colorado Sun

“Illuminating . . . The wealth of detail never slows Warner’s well-paced narrative. Literary history buffs will want to check this out.”—Publishers Weekly

“An engrossing history of the travels of a notorious manuscript across nations and centuries.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Joel Warner has written the best kind of history, making the past seem present with wonderful and outrageous characters, a story that jumps propulsively between eras, and a lively exploration of hidden worlds.”—Benjamin Wallace, New York Times bestselling author of The Billionaire’s Vinegar

“Joel Warner has written a juicy literary thriller with outstanding characters . . .”—A.J. Jacobs, New York Times bestselling author of The Puzzler

“On the surface, this is a remarkable true story about a most controversial and bizarre work of literature, an epic, picaresque true tale that spans centuries. But it’s also a nonfiction allegory about we humans and what and why and how we choose to value . . . stuff.”—Maximillian Potter, author of Shadows in the Vineyard