Private Case
The Private Case of the British Library is a collection of pornographic books and other items, not normally available to general readers. It was established in 1857 and the core of the collection is the bequest of the Victorian collector Henry Spencer Ashbee in 1900 to the British Museum. Other significant contributions include bequests by Charles Reginald Dawes and Beecher Moore, both in 1964. None of the items in the collection have been purchased or acquired via Copyright deposit library.
In 1981 Patrick J Kearney compiled a bibliography of the 1,914 significant books in the Private Case, which includes a substantial introduction by American social critic and folklorist Gershon Legman. The collection contains works by notable figures in the world of written erotica including The 2nd Earl of Rochester, the Marquis de Sade and William Simpson Potter.
In recent years the British Library has dispersed much of this material formerly kept in reserve into the main collections.
See also
- Secretum (British Museum)
- Secret Museum in Naples. Italy
References
- Fryer, Peter, "Private Case – Public Scandal", London: Secker and Warburg, 1966
- Douzinas, Costas, Nead, Lynda, "Law and the image: the authority of art and the aesthetics of law", University of Chicago Press, 1999, ISBN 0-226-56954-3, p.212
- Frayser, Suzanne G, Whitby, Thomas J, "Studies in Human Sexuality: a selected guide", Libraries Unlimited, 1995, ISBN 1-56308-131-8, p. 681
|
A • B • C • D • E • F • G • H • I • J • K • L • M • N • O • P • Q • R • S • T • U • V • W • X • Y • Z |
|
|
A Personal Note from Robin
I must warn the reader: there were only 1,000 copies of this book printed and I am so very lucky to get copy #419.
The Private Case is a marvelous work. I use it as a wish list to determine which books should be added to the BackDrop Reference Library
When I first obtained this book, I was so very pleased to find of the 1,914 books listed in Kearney's book, I had about 600 of them in my library!
Chat rooms • What links here • Copyright info • Contact information • Category:Root