French Library Loosens Morals, Unveils Erotica

Turns out the auguste Bibliothèque Nationale has one of the world's biggest official collections of pornographic books and prints, and today it's going on view—to those over 16—for the first time in 170 years. The erotic works, which have been hidden away in a section called l'enfer, or Hell, include works by respected authors like Voltaire and Apollinaire alongside pulp fiction and graphic depictions of sex.

Respected academics curated the exhibition, which includes works ranging from merely titillating to obscene. Most of the material is French, but the collection also includes explicit prints from Japan and works representing the "English specialty" of "flagellating novels." Their interest is more historical than literary, the curators acknowledge: "Not all the books can be called masterpieces." (More erotica stories.)