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COUSINS, SHEILA. TO BEG I AM ASHAMED-THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A LONDON PROSTITUTE. Obelisk Press, Paris, 1938.

Price: US$11.14 + shipping

Condition: Poor

Description: 171pp; Loose and ragged, with taped repairs to front end papers; Thought to have been co-witten by GRAHAM GREENE; Digital photos available on request; Size: 12mo

Seller: Weathered Stone Books, Skreen, SLIGO, Ireland

COUSINS, SHEILA. To Beg I Am Ashamed. The Obelisk Press 1938, 1938.

Price: US$18.52 + shipping

Description: Octavo softcover (VG-) in d/w (VG-); all our specials have minimal description to keep listing them viable. They are at least reading copies, complete and in reasonable condition but usually secondhand; frequently they are superior examples. Ordering more than one book keeps postage costs down.

Seller: Hard to Find Books NZ (Internet) Ltd., Dunedin, OTAGO, New Zealand

Cousins, Sheila. TO BEG I AM ASHAMED. Obelisk Press, FRANCE, 1938.

Price: US$25.49 + shipping

Condition: Poor

Description: August 1938 (3rd August reprint, and 8th altogether). Clean tight text BUT worn and defective covers. The original covers with flaps have been mounted on white paper and the remains of the spine (about one third) treated similarly. Enough of the spine lettering remains to read title, author and 8th Reissue. Photo on request. Sold as a reading copy and AS IS.

Seller: Richard Sylvanus Williams (Est 1976), WINTERTON, United Kingdom

Cousins, Sheila (Roland Matthews).. To beg I am ashamed. The autobiography of a London prostitute.. Paris, The Obelisk Press., 1938.

Price: US$35.64 + shipping

Description: Reprinted edition August 1938. 270pp. Orig. printed wrappers. Uncut and unopened. Front wrappers faded otherwise a very good copy.

Seller: Manfred Nosbuesch, Kuchenheim, Germany

Cousins, Sheila. To Beg I Am Ashamed: The Autobiography of a London Prostitute. The Obelisk Press, 1938.

Price: US$46.00 + shipping

Condition: Very Good

Description: Early fiction erotica written by Sheila Cousins (Pseudonym for Graham Greene and Ronald Matthews). In England, the book published by Routledge, was suppressed. The "The Public Morality Council", alerted by reviews notified the Home Secretary who pressured Routledge to withdraw the book. This is the Obelisk August 1938 (8th impression). Covers with soiling and light staining, closed tears

Seller: Sekkes Consultants, North Dighton, MA, U.S.A.

Cousins, Sheila (pseud.) [Ronald Matthews and Graham Greene]. To Beg I Am Ashamed:The Autobiography of a London Prostitute. The Obelisk Press, Paris, 1938.

Price: US$75.00 + shipping

Condition: Very Good

Description: Slight wear at edges of yellow wraps. 8th impression of the first edition, August 1938. Size: Octavo (8vo). Text is clean and unmarked. Quantity Available: 1. Shipped Weight: Under 1 kilo. Category: Erotica; Inventory No: 039747.

Seller: Pazzo Books, Boston, MA, U.S.A.

COUSINS, Sheila. ( Ronald Matthews.) ( Graham Greene.). TO BEG I AM ASHAMED.. Kitabistan, Allahabad, 1938.

Price: US$155.95 + shipping

Description: 8vo. pp 285. First Indian edition--rare and exotic. Billed on the front of the jacket as 'the authentic autobiography of a London prostitute.' Publication was stopped in England due to the sexual subject matter (most copies were seized and only a few are known to have survived). It was published in France by Obelisk, in New York by Vanguard and in India by Kitabistan. Writing of the Obelisk Press Paris edition Neil Pearson in his authoritatative bibliography dismisses the idea that Greene (a close friend of Ronald Matthews) co-wrote this. It is likely that he may have contributed a few passages, and elsewhere (Mockler) it is suggested that he may have looked it over and suggested improvements. Certainly he hung out in seedy parts of London with Matthews and went on pub crawls with him. Matthew chronicles his time with GG in his 1957 oeuvre 'Mon Ami Graham Greene.' The inner front flap of the jacket notes that the London papers called the book 'Salacious" "Poisonous" and "Disgraceful" - Kitabistan seem to have gone in for publishing slightly risque works - the rear wrap advertises Diana Frederics Lesbian book "Diana: A Strange Autobiography." Original publisher's crimson cloth, lettered black on spine and cover, some very slight fading at top and bottom of spine o/w sound clean vg+ copy in slightly chipped and nicked near vg jacket with an inch or more loss at lower spine - still a handsome example.

Seller: Any Amount of Books, London, United Kingdom

Cousins, Sheila (pseud. Ronald Matthews, reportedly "with the discreet assistance of Graham Greene"). To Beg I Am Ashamed. George Routledge & Sons Ltd., London, 1938.

Price: US$267.50 + shipping

Condition: Very Good

Description: 1938 to title page; no other dates found. When this first edition of the purported autobiography of a British woman "of good family" seeking both economic and sexual liberation through prostitution was published by Routledge in 1938, British censors dubbed it "disgusting and obscene." (Because she wasn't of the peasant class, of whom "rutting about in the dirt" would be expected, presumably.) The "Public Morality Council" caused police to "lean on" the publisher, and the book was withdrawn. It was subsequently re-published in Paris by Jack Kahane at his Obelisk Press, but copies of this true first edition remain uncommon. (At a quick glance, we have found no rollicking pornography, but perhaps we just missed the good parts.) NO dust jacket; spine slanted about 3/8ths-inch. 283 pp. Here reduced from $605.

Seller: Cat's Curiosities, Pahrump, NV, U.S.A.

COUSINS, Sheila.. To Beg I am Ashamed. The autobiography of a London prostitute.. The Obelisk Press, Paris, 1938.

Price: US$450.00 + shipping

Description: 270 pp. 8vo, publisher's yellow printed wrappers. First edition. Spine very slightly sunned; very slight dust-soiling; an attractive copy.

Seller: Jeffrey H. Marks, Rare Books, ABAA, Rochester, NY, U.S.A.

Cousins, Sheila (pseud. Greene Graham & Ronald Matthews). To Beg I Am Ashamed: The Autobiography of a London Prostitute. The Obelisk Press, Paris, 1938.

Price: US$500.00 + shipping

Condition: Near Fine

Description: First published edition. Orange text wraps, soft cover. Stated "Only authorized edition Complete and unexpurgated" on cover. Stated first edition May 1938.

Seller: J. Mercurio Books, Maps, & Prints IOBA, Garrison, NY, U.S.A.

(Greene, Graham?) Cousins, Sheila [pseud of Ronald Mathews]. To Beg I am Ashamed. George Routledge & Sons Ltd, London, 1938.

Price: US$1000.00 + shipping

Description: First Edition. With small stamp "Overseas Edition" on the verso of the title. Pp. [4], 283, [1]. 1 vols. Sm. 8vo. "Disgusting and Obscene" RARE. BANNED IN LONDON. When originally published its reception was hostile and it was considered "disgusting and obscene. "The Public Morality Council decided that it should be banned and caused the police to "lean on" the publisher so that the book was withdrawn. It was then published in Paris by Jack Kahane at his Obelisk Press, and many times since. Authorship has been attributed to many, including Graham Greene, Jack Kahane and Cecil Barr, but the British Museum's catalogue entry attributes it to Mathews with the "discreet assistance of Graham Greene." The attribution seems now to be discounted, and the book is not considered part of the canon, but it is still of great interest not only for historic Greene associations, but for the fact that it is an important addition to the great body of controversial literature dealing with prostitution, women's sexual and economic liberation. and official hypocrisy. British Museum Catalogue of the SS Collection, No. 17 (Bloomsbury), Patrick J. Kearney, editor Original grey cloth, spine lettered in blue. Extremities rubbed, spine slightly darkened, one inch tear along lower portion of upper joint, corners knocked., internally clean and sound Pp. [4], 283, [1]. 1 vols. Sm. 8vo First Edition. With small stamp "Overseas Edition" on the verso of the title.

Seller: James Cummins Bookseller, ABAA, New York, NY, U.S.A.