Tony Fekete on Collecting Erotica

The Biblio File hosted by Nigel Beale

Tony Fekete is a​ book collector who for years specialized in collecting erotica. ​H​e's best known for the catalogue he produced for a Christie’s auction that took place in 2014 that featured highlights from his collection. ​M​ore than 200 books, manuscripts, lithographs and erotic photographs ​w​ent up for sale​,​ including a first edition of My Secret Life (1888), an eleven-volume memoir​ that describes​ in detail the sex life​ of an anonymous Victorian "Gentleman," of which only twenty-five copies were printed.​ The auction netted Fekete more than a million pounds. ​T​ony is a​ mobile bibliophile who travels frequently, primarily by train, in pursuit of books. Born in London in 1954​ of Hungarian​ descent, ​he worked for​ Citibank in Eastern Europe ​d​uring the mid-1980s​​ whe​r​e he cultivated both his love of books and an appreciation for the region. Today ​h​e shares these passions on Instagram and Facebook​, posting photographs of his journeys​throughout Eastern Europe​, that feature old bars and restaurants​ that he favours and, of course, highlights from his still significant (and stimulating) erotica collection. I spoke with him via Zoom.