For Reading in the Bath, here presented in English for the first time in a delightful translation by Brian Stableford, is one of a number of risqué collections of ultra-short fiction produced by Catulle Mendès (1841-1909) during the fin de siècle.

Always poetic, often perverse, and sometimes even chaste, these highly amusing, masterfully constructed tales of amour and immorality, featuring a large cast of Parisian characters, including the ubiquitous Valentin and the many women he pursues, are confections of great artistry that will be happily savored by anyone with a longing for suggestive treats.