The Purple Book is a luxurious compendium of contemporary illustration that explores fantasy, sensuality, and the erotic imagination. It highlights visual art and the written word as media for representing human desire"s relationship with the dream-state, make-believe, and symbolism. The title of the book is inspired by The Yellow Book, the periodical published in the 1890s and initially art directed by Aubrey Beardsley. While the color yellow represented the daringly salacious in the 1890s, today the color purple is synonymous with opulence and sensuality.