A novella that was originally part of the epic series Legacy of Cain by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, Venus in Furs is an exploration of the themes of sado-masochism and female dominance in a time when the terms had yet to be conceived. The main character dreams of the goddess Venus wearing furs while he speaks to her about love. Unable to let go of the fantasy, he reads a book that tells the story of Severin and Wanda, a couple involved in a sado-masochistic relationship.

Venus in Furs (German: Venus im Pelz) is a novella by the Austrian author Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, and the best known of his works. The novel was to be part of an epic series that Sacher-Masoch envisioned called Legacy of Cain. Venus in Furs was part of Love, the first volume of the series. It was published in 1870.The novel draws themes, like female dominance and sadomasochism, and character inspiration heavily from Sacher-Masoch's own life. Wanda von Dunajew, the novel's central female character, was modelled after Fanny Pistor, who was an emerging literary writer. The two met when Pistor contacted Sacher-Masoch, under assumed name and fictitious title of Baroness Bogdanoff, for suggestions on improving her writing to make it suitable for publication.The framing story concerns a man who dreams of speaking to Venus about love while she wears furs. The unnamed narrator tells his dreams to a friend, Severin, who tells him how to break himself of his fascination with cruel women by reading a manuscript, Memoirs of a Suprasensual Man.

Leopold von Sacher-Masoch was an Austrian writer and journalist, who gained renown for his romantic stories of Galician life. The term masochism is derived from his name. "Venus in Furs" was part of an epic series that Sacher-Masoch envisioned called Legacy of Cain. "Venus in Furs" was part of Love, the first volume of the series. Contents: "Venus In Furs" by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, and also; * a summary of "Venus In Furs" * selected quotes from "Venus In Furs" * notes on sadomasochism * a brief biography of Leopold von Sacher-Masoch * "The Bookbinder Of Hort", a short story by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch.

Severin is so infatuated with Wanda that he requests to be treated as her slave and encourages her to treat him in progressively more degrading ways. At first Wanda does not want to, but later embraces the idea; though at the same time, she disdains Severin for allowing her to do so. Severin describes his feelings during these experiences as suprasensuality. Wanda treats him brutally as a servant, and recruits a trio of African women to dominate him. The relationship arrives at a crisis point when Wanda herself meets a man to whom she would like to submit. Severin, humiliated by Wanda's new lover, ceases to desire to submit, stating that men should dominate women until the time when women are equal to men in education and rights. Probably the first book which blatantly addresses the issue of female sexual domination, this is today a classic of the genre and it is the author from whom the word masochism takes its name.

Venus in Furs (German: Venus im Pelz), is the most famous work of the Austrian author Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, and a part of 'Love' in the first volume of the series of 'Das Verm�chtnis Kains' or Legacy of Kains sometimes translated as Heritage of Cain which was published in 1870. The plan of the author was to group various novellas into 6 volumes, each of which was titled according to its central theme viz.: "Love", "Property", "State", "War", "Work", and "Death". The first volume, "Love", was completed in 1870 and it begins with the prologue short story The Wanderer in which a hunter off in the dense forest meets a strannik (wandering ascetic), whose passionate speech reveals his philosophy where Cain is responsible for having unleashed into the world the six "evils" that title each volume of the cycle. The only other volume, "Property", was published in 1877. The novel draws themes, like female dominance and sadomasochism, and character inspiration heavily from the author's own life. Wanda von Dunajew, the novel's central female character, was modeled after Fanny Pistor, who was an emerging literary writer. The two met when Pistor contacted Sacher-Masoch, under assumed name and fictitious title of Baroness Bogdanoff, for suggestions on improving her writing to make it suitable for publication.Von Sacher-Masoch was born in the city of Lemberg (now Lviv, Ukraine), the capital of the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, at the time a province of the Austrian Empire, into the Roman Catholic family of an Austrian civil servant, Leopold Johann Nepomuk Ritter von Sacher, and Charlotte von Masoch, a Ukrainian noblewoman. He later combined his surname with his wife's 'von Masoch', at the request of her family (she was the last of the line). Von Sacher served as a Commissioner of the Imperial Police Forces in Lemberg, and he was recognised with a new title of nobility as Sacher-Masoch awarded by the Austrian Emperor.Leopold studied law, history and mathematics at Graz University, and after graduating moved back to Lemberg where he became a professor. His early, non-fictional publications dealt mostly with Austrian history. At the same time, Masoch turned to the folklore and culture of his homeland, Galicia. Soon he abandoned lecturing and became a free man of letters. Within a decade his short stories and novels prevailed over his historical non-fiction works, though historical themes continued to imbue his fiction.On 9 December 1869, Sacher-Masoch and his mistress Baroness Fanny Pistor signed a contract making him her slave for a period of six months, with the stipulation that the Baroness wear furs as often as possible. The two travelled by train to Italy. As in Venus in Furs, he traveled in the third-class compartment, while she had a seat in first-class, arriving in Venice (Florence, in the novel), where they were not known, and would not arouse suspicion. Sacher-Masoch pressured his first wife - Aurora von R�melin, whom he married in 1873 - to live out the experience of the book, against her preferences. Sacher-Masoch found his family life to be unexciting, and eventually got a divorce and married his assistant.According to official reports, he died in Lindheim, Altenstadt, Hesse, in 1895. It is also claimed that he died in an asylum in Mannheim in 1905. Sacher-Masoch is the great-great-uncle to the British singer and actress Marianne Faithfull on the side of her mother, the Viennese Baroness Eva Erisso.The term masochism was coined in 1886 by the Austrian psychiatrist Richard Freiherr von Krafft-Ebing (1840-1902) in his book Psychopathia Sexualis:"...I feel justified in calling this sexual anomaly "Masochism", because the author Sacher-Masoch frequently made this perversion, which up to his time was quite unknown to the scientific world as such, the substratum of his writings. I followed thereby the scientific formation of the term "Daltonism", from Dalton, the discoverer of colour-blindness."

A Venus in Furs is a erotic novel. The unnamed narrator tells his dreams to a friend, Severiy Austrian author Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, the best known of his works. The framing story concerns a man who dreams of speaking to Venus about love while she wears furs. This manuscript tells of a man, Severin von Kusiemski, so infatuated with a woman, Wanda von Dunajew, that he requests to be treated as her slave, and encourages her to treat him in progressively more degrading ways.

Venus in Furs (German: Venus im Pelz), is the most famous work of the Austrian author Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, and a part of 'Love' in the first volume of the series of 'Das Vermachtnis Kains' or Legacy of Kains sometimes translated as Heritage of Cain which was published in 1870. The plan of the author was to group various novellas into 6 volumes, each of which was titled according to its central theme viz.: "Love," "Property," "State," "War," "Work," and "Death." The first volume, "Love," was completed in 1870 and it begins with the prologue short story The Wanderer in which a hunter off in the dense forest meets a strannik (wandering ascetic), whose passionate speech reveals his philosophy where Cain is responsible for having unleashed into the world the six "evils" that title each volume of the cycle. The only other volume published was "Property," published in 1877. The novel draws themes, like female dominance and sadomasochism, and character inspiration heavily from the author's own life. Wanda von Dunajew, the novel's central female character, was modeled after Fanny Pistor, who was an emerging literary writer. The two met when Pistor contacted Sacher-Masoch, under assumed name and fictitious title of Baroness Bogdanoff, for suggestions on improving her writing to make it suitable for publication. Von Sacher-Masoch was born in the city of Lemberg (now Lviv, Ukraine), the capital of the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, at the time a province of the Austrian Empire, into the Roman Catholic family of an Austrian civil servant, Leopold Johann Nepomuk Ritter von Sacher, and Charlotte von Masoch, a Ukrainian noblewoman. He later combined his surname with his wife's 'von Masoch', at the request of her family (she was the last of the line). Von Sacher served as a Commissioner of the Imperial Police Forces in Lemberg, and he was recognised with a new title of nobility as Sacher-Masoch awarded by the Austrian Emperor. Leopold studied law, history and mathematics at Graz University, and after graduating moved back to Lemberg where he became a professor. His early, non-fictional publications dealt mostly with Austrian history. At the same time, Masoch turned to the folklore and culture of his homeland, Galicia. Soon he abandoned lecturing and became a free man of letters. Within a decade his short stories and novels prevailed over his historical non-fiction works, though historical themes continued to imbue his fiction. On 9 December 1869, Sacher-Masoch and his mistress Baroness Fanny Pistor signed a contract making him her slave for a period of six months, with the stipulation that the Baroness wear furs as often as possible. The two travelled by train to Italy. As in Venus in Furs, he traveled in the third-class compartment, while she had a seat in first-class, arriving in Venice (Florence, in the novel), where they were not known, and would not arouse suspicion. Sacher-Masoch pressured his first wife - Aurora von Rumelin, whom he married in 1873 - to live out the experience of the book, against her preferences. Sacher-Masoch found his family life to be unexciting, and eventually got a divorce and married his assistant. According to official reports, he died in Lindheim, Altenstadt, Hesse, in 1895. It is also claimed that he died in an asylum in Mannheim in 1905. Sacher-Masoch is the great-great-uncle to the British singer and actress Marianne Faithfull on the side of her mother, the Viennese Baroness Eva Erisso. The term masochism was coined in 1886 by the Austrian psychiatrist Richard Freiherr von Krafft-Ebing (1840-1902) in his book Psychopathia Sexualis: ..".I feel justified in calling this sexual anomaly "Masochism," because the author Sacher-Masoch frequently made this perversion, which up to his time was quite unknown to the scientific world as such, the substratum of his writings. I followed thereby the scientific formation of the term "Daltonism," from Dalton, the discoverer of colour-blindness."

Enter the provocative world of desire and domination with "Venus in Furs" by Ritter von Leopold Sacher-Masoch. Explore the complex dynamics of power, submission, and passion in this groundbreaking novel that continues to captivate readers with its exploration of human sexuality. As Sacher-Masoch's tale unfolds, delve into the intricate relationship between Severin von Kusiemski and Wanda von Dunajew, where desire and pain intertwine in a seductive dance of pleasure and punishment. Experience the allure of forbidden desires and the intoxicating allure of surrender. But amidst the sensuality and intrigue of "Venus in Furs," a thought-provoking question emerges: Can we truly understand the depths of human desire and the complexities of power dynamics in intimate relationships, or are we destined to be forever entangled in our own desires? Engage with Sacher-Masoch's provocative exploration of love, power, and submission, as he challenges societal norms and delves into the darker recesses of the human psyche. Join the exploration of human desire and domination as we navigate the complexities of passion and control. Are you prepared to confront the taboo and delve into the depths of your own desires? Immerse yourself in the seductive prose and psychological intrigue of "Venus in Furs," whose timeless exploration of desire continues to provoke and inspire readers to this day. Now is the time to experience the intoxicating allure of "Venus in Furs" for yourself. Secure your copy today and embark on a journey of exploration and self-discovery through the tangled web of desire, power, and submission. Order now and let Sacher-Masoch's masterpiece awaken your senses and ignite your imagination as you delve into the forbidden realms of human desire.

"Love knows no virtue, no profit; it loves and forgives and suffers everything, because it must."Originally published in 1870, the notorious novel VENUS IN FURS quickly became a landmark work of erotic literature. Written by the Austrian author Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, the book's themes of female dominance and sadomasochism are legendary. This new edition-translated from the German by Fernanda Savage-features stunning collage illustrations by French artist Nelly Sanchez.