Desire and Pursuit of the Whole

This is a description of Venice at the time when it served as an asylum for undesirables from all over Europe, as well as erotic vacation destination for some. It stands as a scurrilous sensual testament to Rolfe's fervent affection for the physical beauty of the city of Venice.

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This is the Death in Venice, Thomas Mann would not have dared to write and is one of the classic books on Venice at a time when it served as an home for undesirables from all over Europe as well as erotic vacation destinations for some. The Desire and Pursuit of the Whole stands as a uniquely scurrilous sensual testament to Frederick Rolfe's fervent affection for the physical beauty of the city of Venice and it's a inhabitants. Published posthumously in 1934, the original edition was heavily edited version and only first published in its entirety in 1993. Since new photographs of Rolfe and his world have come to light and this is the first annotated edition with libel details.