It's fitting that the Surrealist artist Leonor Fini would illustrate Story of O, as she herself influenced part of the story. The owl mask the heroine wears in the final scene was "stolen" by writer Dominique Aury from a costume Fini made to wear to the Bal des Oiseaux given at the Palais Rose in 1948.

Writing as Pauline Réage in the preface to Story of O's sequel Retour á Roissy, Aury admitted "Nor did I make up – steal, rather, for which I ask her belated pardon, but the theft was committed out of adoration – the Leonor Fini masks…" Fini's illustrations continue the creative conversation between the two women, inspiring each other in turn.

This collectable 1968 Tchou edition features 16 pages of full illustrations (12 in colour and four in black and white) on textured artist’s paper, a red ribbon marker and a padded gold cloth cover with red and black debossed lettering, inlayed with a small illustration by Fini. It is number 6781 of a limited edition of 8,000, and protected by a clear dustcover. Please note that the text is in French.