Pscyhe

Psyché is Pierre Louÿs's erotic historical novel set in ancient Greece, featuring sensuous prose and elaborate historical detail. Louÿs, a French poet and novelist associated with the Symbolist movement, specialized in sophisticated historical fiction with erotic elements, often set in the classical world.

This 1928 Covici, Friede edition represents an important American publication. Pascal Covici and Donald Friede ran one of the most daring and literary publishing houses of the late 1920s and early 1930s, known for publishing modernist literature, controversial works, and beautifully produced limited editions. They published John Steinbeck's early works, Radclyffe Hall's The Well of Loneliness, and other landmark books.
Louÿs's work combined classical scholarship with literary aestheticism and frank sexuality, making him a controversial but influential figure in late 19th and early 20th century literature. His most famous work, Aphrodite, established him as a master of the historical erotic novel.

About Pierre Louÿs: Louÿs (1870-1925) was a French poet and novelist, friend of André Gide and Oscar Wilde, and an important figure in French Symbolism and Decadence. His works explored sensuality, antiquity, and aesthetic pleasure with remarkable literary craft.

About Covici, Friede: This Chicago-based publisher (1928-1938) was known for quality production and literary daring. After the firm dissolved, Pascal Covici became a legendary editor at Viking Press, where he worked with Steinbeck for decades.