A Collection of Previously Banned Victorian Erotica: Romance of Lust, Forbidden Fruit, and My Secret Life

by Henry Spencer Ashbee

From the Locus Elm Press stable comes a collection of deliciously deviant text all previously suppressed, censored, or banned, brough together here in one special edition volume. All considerately formatted and contents-linked for your reading ROMANCE OF LUST (Complete Four Volumes)“Truly remarkable, all the pleasure of fine historical fiction combined with the most intimate descriptions of explicit lovemaking.” - The Times Written anonymously between 1873 and 1876, this Sadian-inspired work of once-banned Victorian Erotica tells the tale of Charlie Roberts - blessed with a particular large “member” and virility to match - and his indoctrination into the world of carnal pleasures beyond anyone's wildest musings. Altogether corruptible and corrupter, Charlie find himself party to, and in the company of, all manner of sibling-inspired erotic entanglements, lewd doctors, lascivious governesses, ménage à trois, and many a caned and disturbed bottom. These pages will sure to shock those of more delicate sensibilities. This book contains graphic descriptions of a "physical" nature.*.*.*.*.*FORBIDDEN FRUIT AND MORE FORBIDDEN FRUIT“Master Percy is about to get a very 'physical' education” This once banned gem of Edwardian Erotica recounts the sexual coming of age of Percy, and his many vigorous dalliances with women young and old. Even the rakish Captain Charles Devereaux, of "Venus in India", makes an appearance to regale Percy in some far eastern eroticism. Written anonymously in 1898 and published by the infamous 'The Erotica Biblion society of London and New York' in 1905, splashed with a liberal helping of graphic prose, and a smattering of flagellation for good measure, 'Forbidden Fruit' and its sequel will not fail to get a rise out of those discerning collectors of the genre.*.*.*.*.*MY SECRET LIFE (Complete First Three Volumes)"one of the most valuable sources of information on sexual attitudes and practices in the last part of the nineteenth century in the English speaking world" Totalling 11 volumes and over 4000 pages, originally written in 1888 'My Secret Life' is a Victorian Erotic extraordinary and a genre defining masterpiece of sordid story-telling. Recounting the sexual exploits of Walter amongst a great many a maid, prostitute, belle, and a débutante of two, every encounter is described in a wonderfully graphic prose that perfectly captures the visceral backdrop of an era caught between stoic conformity and libertinage abandon. Volumes I to III are considerately presented herein with original indexing and chapter headings, all hyper-linked for ease of reference. Volumes IV to VII, and VIII to XI, are also available from Locus Elm Press; dedicated to bringing you unexpurgated erotica and introducing the visual romanticism of books to e-readers.

1118 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 10, 2014

About the author

Henry Spencer Ashbee was a book collector, writer, and bibliographer, notorious for his massive, clandestine three volume bibliography of erotic literature written under the pseudonym of Pisanus Fraxi. He is also speculated to be the author of the erotic novel A Night in a Moorish Harem, written under the pseudonym of Lord George Herbert.

Ashbee was born in Southwark, London. He was by occupation a textile trader, the senior partner in the London branch of the firm of Charles Lavy & Co. He travelled extensively during his life, including Europe, Japan, and San Francisco, collaborating with Alexander Graham on Travels in Tunisia, published in 1887. He was an avid book collector, with perhaps the world's most extensive collections of Cervantes and erotica. Influenced by a friendship with the Belgian diplomat Joseph Octave Delepierre, his erotica collecting proceeded with purchases in Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris.

Ashbee was a part of a loose intellectual fraternity of English gentlemen who discussed sexual matters with a freedom that was at odds with Victorian mores; this fraternity included Richard Francis Burton, Richard Monckton Milnes, Algernon Charles Swinburne, and others. He also amassed thousands of volumes of pornography in several languages. He wrote on sex under the pseudonyms "Fraxinus" (Ash) and "Apis" (Bee), and sometimes combined them as "Pisanus Fraxi".

Ashbee's will left his entire collection to the British Museum, with the condition that the erotic works had to be accepted along with the conventional items. Because the trustees wanted the materials related to Cervantes, they decided to accept the bequest. The trustees were allowed to destroy any of the books if they had a duplicate, but in practice went much further and destroyed six boxes "of offensive matter which is of no value or interest" including cheaply produced Victorian erotica. The remainder of the works formed the core of the Private Case which were kept hidden from readers in the British Library for many years; they include a work by William Simpson Potter.

Ashbee married Elisabeth Lavy in Hamburg, Germany in 1862. They had one son, Charles (the designer Charles Robert Ashbee, born 1863), and three daughters. His family life grew unhappier as he aged. As he became more conservative, his family followed the progressive movement of the era. "The 'excessive education' of his daughters irritated him, his Jewish wife's pro-suffragism infuriated him, and he became tragically estranged from his socialist homosexual son, Charles". Henry and Elisabeth separated in 1893. Henry Spencer Ashbee is buried in Kensal Green Cemetery.