Book cover of The Curse of the Marquis de Sade: A Notorious Scoundrel, a Mythical Manuscript, and the Biggest Scandal in Literary History

Book description

NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICE • The captivating, deeply reported true story of how one of the most notorious novels ever written—Marquis de Sade’s 120 Days of Sodom—landed at the heart of one of the biggest scams in modern literary history.

“Reading The Curse of the Marquis de Sade, with…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked The Curse of the Marquis de Sade as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Warner deftly weaves three narratives: the lurid life of the French aristocrat whose sexual exploits led to the coining of the term “sadism,” the fate of his most infamous work, and the collapse of a rare-book investment scheme devised by a man accused of being “the Bernie Madoff of France.”

It’s a lot of ground to cover, but this well-researched, well-crafted account hums along, introducing us to revolutionaries, surrealists, sexologists, high-end book collectors, and more, all fascinated by the handwritten scroll of 120 Days of Sodom.

And it raises questions about what makes a rare and suppressed book truly valuable…

If you love The Curse of the Marquis de Sade...

Book cover of Aggressor

Aggressor by FX Holden,

It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.

The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…

Want books like The Curse of the Marquis de Sade?

Our community of 13,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Curse of the Marquis de Sade.

Browse books like The Curse of the Marquis de Sade

Book cover of The Wizard of Lies: Bernie Madoff and the Death of Trust
Book cover of The Big Con: The Story of the Confidence Man
Book cover of Con Man: A Master Swindler's Own Story

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,397

readers submitted
so far, will you?

📚 If you like The Curse of the Marquis de Sade, you might also like...

Book cover of The Tao of Poison

The Tao of Poison by Isham Cook,

A poisonous maiden, a Daoist sex cult, and a violent insurgency.

The polyandrous Yan family in China's rural Shaanxi Province takes in two carpenter brothers. When one brother is convicted of murder after killing their neighbor in a dispute, a constable threatens to expose the family's rumored polyandry and extorts…

Book cover of Draakensky: A Supernatural Tale of Magick and Romance

Draakensky by Paula Cappa,

A wind sorcerer. A dark spirit. An unsolved murder.

On the haunted Draakensky Windmill Estate, sketch artist Charlotte Knight arrives to live on the property, hired to illustrate the poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke—a bright and lucrative opportunity to boost her struggling art career. 

She meets the reclusive spinster Jaa…

5 book lists we think you will like!