Blaine, Mahlon (American, 1894?1969). Nova Venus, Inscribed to Joseph Dunninger. New York, 1938. Original gilt-stamped cloth portfolio, containing the full set of 40 loose plates of erotic and grotesque illustrations, and the title page, the verso bearing a hand-drawn illustration of a nude woman beholding the Devil as he sits on a toilet, inscribed: ?To Dunninger/from Mahlon Blaine/39?. 8vo (9 7/8 x 7 ??). Slight wear to portfolio; near fine. Blaine designed Dunninger?s bookplate and illustrated several of his books on magic. His illustrations appeared in The New Yorker and editions of works by Edgar Rice Burroughs, John Steinbeck, and other popular authors, yet the artist achieved only limited financial success during his lifetime, and Dunninger is credited with being his most reliable friend and patron.