The Marquis de Sade (1740-1814), best known for his violent, erotic novels, such as 120 Days of Sodom and Justine, was also one of the key inspirational figures identified by Andr Breton in his Surrealist Manifestos. De Sade's importance to the Surrealists and their close affiliates is reflected in the sheer volume of art and writing dedicated to, or inspired by, his life, philosophy, and writings. Sade documents this body of Surrealist work, including many key texts and bizarre and erotic images never before assembled in one volume.

Included in Sade are more than fifty rarely seen transgressive illustrations by some of the most famous names associated with Surrealism, including Dal , Hans Bellmer, Magritte, Andr Masson, and Man Ray. The book also features analytical texts by writers of the period such as Bataille, Breton, Bunuel, Eluard, and Klossowski. Also included is the first-ever English translation of "The Divine Marquis" by Guillaume Apollinaire, which was the first modernist appraisal of Sade and remains one of the best concise biographies of its subject, and "Sade and the Roman Noir" by scholar Maurice Heine, in which Heine posits Sade as inventor of the gothic novel. Putting the works in context is an extensive history by editor Candice Black that details the relationship between the Surrealists and Sade.