"The 120 Days of Sodom is Sade's masterpiece. A still unsurpassed catalogue of sexual abberrations and the first systematic exploration of the psychopathology of sex, it was written during Sade's imprisonment and then lost after the storming of the Bastille in 1789. Later rediscovered, the manuscript remained unpublished until 1936 and is now introduced by Simone de Beauvoir's landmark essay, 'Must We Burn Sade?' Unique in its enduring capacity to shock and provoke, The 120 days of Sodom must stand as one of the most controversial books ever written"
