Few titles have captured the erotic imaginary as vividly as Leopold von Sacher-Masoch’s novella Venus in Furs (Venus im Pelz). Published in 1870, it was inspired by the author’s relationship with his first wife and fellow writer Fanny von Pistor, with whom he signed a ‘love contract’ agreeing to become her slave.

Framed as a found manuscript, the story follows the increasingly fraught dynamic between Severin von Kusiemski and the object of his obsession, Wanda von Dunajew. As his infatuation deepens, Severin begs to be treated with contempt and degradation at the hands of his beloved. The book’s legacy runs from Freud’s coining of the term “masochism” (much to Sacher-Masoch’s displeasure) to the Velvet Underground’s iconic drone-rock track.

While Luxor Press issued the first unexpurgated English translation in 1965, the prize for prettiest surely goes to Sphere Books, whose reprinted 1971 edition features a pulpy illustration of Sacher-Masoch’s dream tormentor.