THE ROSY CRUCIFIXION BOOK ONE SEXUS; .BOOK TWO PLEXUS; .BOOK THREE NEXUS

First printing of the first Grove edition, the first edition printed in America and the first edition for general circulation. The three books in the trilogy were initially banned in the United States, and thus published only in France and Japan in very small numbers. Provenance of Library of Congress Manuscript Historian Grover Batts. 8vo, publisher's original black cloth, the spines and upper cover with gilt lettering within a gilt frame, that one the upper covers being a facsimile of Miller's signature, in the original white paper jackets printed in three contrasting colours and in the original slipcase with large printed paper label. 506; 640; 316 pp. A very fine set, the books are without flaw, the jackets near pristine but for a little toning on the spines which is essentially unavoidable due to the white paper used, SEXUS also with very minor wear at the tips of the jacket. The slipcase is a little rubbed and mellowed and has a small abrasion on the printed label.

Edizione: quite scarce first printing of all three titles in miller's fictionalized account of his six-years living in brooklyn, the period where he fell for his second wife june. it also describes his struggles to become a writer, and the events leading up to his departure for paris in 1928.<br> all three books in the trilogy were initially banned in the united states as pornographic, thus there was no american publication prior to the u.s. supreme court's 1964 decision that the also-banned tropic of cancer was a work of literature, and therefore should no longer be banned. in spite of no longer being accused of peddling porn, miller had other concerns about an american edition. he believed that his first wife, beatrice, who is portrayed in the books as "maude", would be able to sue. he relented however, and in 1965 the rosy crucifixion volumes were holding the top spots (along with two other recently unbanned works) on the publishers weekly bestseller list.