Degeneration by Max Nordau
Publication: 1895 Appleton and Company First Edition
Max Nordau’s significant work is a moral critique of what he regarded as degenerate art. It also acts as a polemic against various emerging social phenomena of the time, such as rapid urbanization and its perceived effects on the human body. Nordau specifically targets Oscar Wilde, describing him in harsh terms: “Wilde loves immorality, sin, and crime.” The main focus of Nordau’s work is to describe the artistic and literary trends of a society he believed was facing its own “ruin” at the turn of the century.
Condition: publishers cloth boards, gilt title to spine and cover, hinges starting but binding still strong, endpaper with closed tear, a few light pencil marks throughout (eaasily erased if desired), in Very Good condition