The Erotomaniac

The Erotomaniac by Ian Gibson is a fascinating account of Victorian curiosity, repression and subverted desire, focusing on the story of Henry Spencer Ashbee - a prosperous and respectable Victorian gentleman, whose chambers in Grey's Inn turned out to conceal a vast collection of erotica and pornography.

Henry Spencer Ashbee seemed a prosperous and respectable Victorian gentleman. Acclaimed biographer Ian Gibson has created an engrossing portrait of Ashbee, which examines the evidence that Ashbee himself may have been the author of the most famous work of Victorian erotica, My Secret Life.

Henry Spencer Ashbee seemed a prosperous and respectable Victorian gentleman. But his well-upholstered chambers in Gray's Inn concealed a shocking secret: a vast collection of erotica and pornography, thousands of volumes strong.

The Erotomaniac is a fascinating account of Victorian curiosity, repression and subverted desire. Acclaimed biographer Ian Gibson has created an engrossing portrait of Ashbee, which examines the evidence that Ashbee himself may have been the author of the most famous work of Victorian erotica, My Secret Life.