Harper Perennial Forbidden Classics – serie

‘Justine’ was the Marquis de Sade's first novella, written in 1787, whilst imprisoned for two weeks in the Bastille. Although published anonymously, de Sade was eventually indicted for blasphemy and obscenity (without trial) for the authorship of ‘Justine’ at the behest of Napoleon Bonaparte.Who suffers in the pursuit of desire?The Countess de Lorsange reveals her history, in a tavern, to a young woman named Therese; where a young girl and her sister fight a battle of morality. Set in a period before the French Revolution, Justine shows the battle of virtue versus vice, where earning your keep takes on fresh connotations, and a titled lady holds a lifetime of illicit secrets.

First published in 1959, ‘Emmanuelle’ inspired the most successful x-rated film of all time, spawning an industry in imitations and worldwide notoriety.Can sharing only add to your pleasure?Emmanuelle is curious. Her husband Jean married her for her 'erotic genius', not to possess her. The only solution to Emmanuelle's passion is through a mentor; a man who will guide her through her deepest fantasies – unveiling languid tales of discovery in the close heat of the Orient.‘Emmanuelle’ is a candid confession and liberated exploration of erotic philosophy and bisexuality, where the contrast between repression and desire results in an intense, boundary-breaking journey into the exotic.

‘My Secret Life’ is a dark work of Victorian erotica, and an explicit memoir of unspoken desires in the English class system – encapsulating the joy of hidden sins in an age of moral fervour.Would you undress with the curtains open?A champagne-drinking Victorian traveller, Walter is lascivious, obnoxious and possessed of an insatiable sexual appetite. Through a bawdy catalogue of indecent scenarios with maids, widows and wenches, he solicits an indulgent exploration of the flesh. His obsessions, fantasies and voyeuristic tendencies are explored and revealed within this diary – one of the most famous examples of Victorian erotic literature from the decadent era.Only six copies of ‘My Secret Life’ were initially printed in 1888. Attempts to republish the book resulted in the novel being repeatedly banned.

‘Sadopaideia’ is a shocking, explicit, classic tale of Sado Masochism at the heart of English high society. Set in London and the Dorset coast, in an era of English history where corporal punishment was freely dispensed, the characters represent the core principles of disobedience, chastisement and compliance.How far is too far?Cecil Prendergast has a problem. He has been selected by Muriel Harcourt and her maid as the third dimension in their relationship. The 'problem' is that Muriel likes to beat Cecil's backside with a bamboo cane. Before long, a new master emerges – and Cecil finally asserts his dominance. Through disciplinary scenes, he wages a war of retribution via stinging pleasure and mutual consent – and punishes Muriel, her maid and Muriel's two nieces in turn.

‘The Way of a Man with a Maid’ is a foray into pleasure, pain, lesbianism and etiquette – told from the viewpoint of a quintessential Edwardian gent. Having first appeared in Parisian journals around the turn of the century, it is widely acknowledged to be a defining example of the erotic genre, and reveals the dark underbelly of human sexuality.Do the best things come to the woman who waits?Jack has built a special place in a padded room of an old lunatic asylum named 'The Snuggery'. Filled with ropes, cushions, straps and feathers, he chooses Alice to complete the decoration. Imprisoned against her will, she is teased into submission. And in moments of passion, when Jack names her his 'wife', Alice finally surrenders her maidenhead, submitting to the power of his unbridled lust.

‘Fanny Hill’ scandalised thousands of Victorians with its vivid descriptions of sexual pleasure, and landed its author in court a year after publication on charges of ‘corrupting the King's subjects’. This only heightened its allure – and today it is still hugely appreciated as a work of true erotic and literary merit.What’s a penniless country girl to do in the big city?Fanny Hill is a blushing country maiden until tragic circumstances force her to seek a new life in London. She is taken in by the motherly Mrs Brown, but on her first night she receives a rather unorthodox welcome from one of the young ladies in the house – and swiftly gains a much more explicit idea of what is expected in her new role. Fanny takes to carnal pleasures with gusto, and she vividly recalls each lusty encounter, every thrusting conquest, in her saucy, voyeuristic and thoroughly irresistible memoirs.

‘Venus in India’ is set in colonial Hindustan, and reveals the story of Captain Devereux, a man who finds it hard to keep his hands off other soldiers’ wives. Exploring the fine art of menage a trois, each sinuous line provides proof that tropical heat and erotic lust are perfect bedfellows.To cheat? Or not to cheat?Captain Devereux is posted to India, far away from his beautiful young wife and child, and at first is devastated at the parting. But when he comes across Lizzie Wilson, the wife of one of his fellow officers, her ample bosom and open thighs prove more than enough consolation. And when her husband objects to their dalliances, no matter – for the Colonel of the regiment's three young daughters, Fanny, Amy and Mabel, are more than eager to be initiated into the ways of adult love…

‘The Autobiography of a Flea’ was initally published in 1887, and inspired a film directed by one of the first female pornographic directors from the 1970s. Starring the inimitable John C Holmes, it is recognised as a classic example of the x-rated genre.Can men of the cloth ever escape temptation?A young maiden, Bella, and her boyfriend Charlie consummate their passion under the moonlight, shrouded in petticoats. Little do they know that someone has been watching them – a priest – who blackmails Bella over the sight he has witnessed, enslaving her into a world of sexual subservience.‘The Autobiography of a Flea’ is narrated by the smallest voyeur of them all, who uses his size to avenge Bella's misfortune, revealing the sordid details of a priest's inner sanctum.

First published in 1870, the author of ‘Venus in Furs’ defined – and unwittingly gave his own name to – that sexual proclivity we know as masochism in this understated, charged erotic classic.What woman could resist a trembling man handing her the whip?Severin is a young Galician nobleman with a secret; he can only love a woman with a ruthless heart, who will rain her whip upon him in a shower of bloody kisses. When he meets Wanda, the wealthy and beautiful widow living in the apartment upstairs, he wonders if she might be the one to help him realise his darkest desires. But Wanda is better than she ever dreamed possible at domination – and soon Severin realises he is powerless to escape what he has begun. Here, fantasy and reality writhe together in a ceaseless, fraught embrace…

`Sadopaideia’ is a shocking, explicit, classic tale of Sado Masochism at the heart of English high society. Set in London and the Dorset coast, in an era of English history where corporal punishment was freely dispensed, the characters represent the core principles of disobedience, chastisement and compliance.How far is too far?Cecil Prendergast has a problem. He has been selected by Muriel Harcourt and her maid as the third dimension in their relationship. The 'problem' is that Muriel likes to beat Cecil's backside with a bamboo cane. Before long, a new master emerges – and Cecil finally asserts his dominance. Through disciplinary scenes, he wages a war of retribution via stinging pleasure and mutual consent – and punishes Muriel, her maid and Muriel's two nieces in turn.

`The Way of a Man with a Maid’ is a foray into pleasure, pain, lesbianism and etiquette – told from the viewpoint of a quintessential Edwardian gent. Having first appeared in Parisian journals around the turn of the century, it is widely acknowledged to be a defining example of the erotic genre, and reveals the dark underbelly of human sexuality.Do the best things come to the woman who waits?Jack has built a special place in a padded room of an old lunatic asylum named 'The Snuggery'. Filled with ropes, cushions, straps and feathers, he chooses Alice to complete the decoration. Imprisoned against her will, she is teased into submission. And in moments of passion, when Jack names her his 'wife', Alice finally surrenders her maidenhead, submitting to the power of his unbridled lust.

`Venus in India’ is set in colonial Hindustan, and reveals the story of Captain Devereux, a man who finds it hard to keep his hands off other soldiers’ wives. Exploring the fine art of menage a trois, each sinuous line provides proof that tropical heat and erotic lust are perfect bedfellows.To cheat? Or not to cheat?Captain Devereux is posted to India, far away from his beautiful young wife and child, and at first is devastated at the parting. But when he comes across Lizzie Wilson, the wife of one of his fellow officers, her ample bosom and open thighs prove more than enough consolation. And when her husband objects to their dalliances, no matter – for the Colonel of the regiment's three young daughters, Fanny, Amy and Mabel, are more than eager to be initiated into the ways of adult love…

`Fanny Hill’ scandalised thousands of Victorians with its vivid descriptions of sexual pleasure, and landed its author in court a year after publication on charges of `corrupting the King's subjects’. This only heightened its allure – and today it is still hugely appreciated as a work of true erotic and literary merit.What’s a penniless country girl to do in the big city?Fanny Hill is a blushing country maiden until tragic circumstances force her to seek a new life in London. She is taken in by the motherly Mrs Brown, but on her first night she receives a rather unorthodox welcome from one of the young ladies in the house – and swiftly gains a much more explicit idea of what is expected in her new role. Fanny takes to carnal pleasures with gusto, and she vividly recalls each lusty encounter, every thrusting conquest, in her saucy, voyeuristic and thoroughly irresistible memoirs.

First published in 1870, the author of `Venus in Furs’ defined – and unwittingly gave his own name to – that sexual proclivity we know as masochism in this understated, charged erotic classic.What woman could resist a trembling man handing her the whip?Severin is a young Galician nobleman with a secret; he can only love a woman with a ruthless heart, who will rain her whip upon him in a shower of bloody kisses. When he meets Wanda, the wealthy and beautiful widow living in the apartment upstairs, he wonders if she might be the one to help him realise his darkest desires. But Wanda is better than she ever dreamed possible at domination – and soon Severin realises he is powerless to escape what he has begun. Here, fantasy and reality writhe together in a ceaseless, fraught embrace…

`Justine’ was the Marquis de Sade's first novella, written in 1787, whilst imprisoned for two weeks in the Bastille. Although published anonymously, de Sade was eventually indicted for blasphemy and obscenity (without trial) for the authorship of `Justine’ at the behest of Napoleon Bonaparte.Who suffers in the pursuit of desire?The Countess de Lorsange reveals her history, in a tavern, to a young woman named Therese; where a young girl and her sister fight a battle of morality. Set in a period before the French Revolution, Justine shows the battle of virtue versus vice, where earning your keep takes on fresh connotations, and a titled lady holds a lifetime of illicit secrets.

`The Autobiography of a Flea’ was initally published in 1887, and inspired a film directed by one of the first female pornographic directors from the 1970s. Starring the inimitable John C Holmes, it is recognised as a classic example of the x-rated genre.Can men of the cloth ever escape temptation?A young maiden, Bella, and her boyfriend Charlie consummate their passion under the moonlight, shrouded in petticoats. Little do they know that someone has been watching them – a priest – who blackmails Bella over the sight he has witnessed, enslaving her into a world of sexual subservience.`The Autobiography of a Flea’ is narrated by the smallest voyeur of them all, who uses his size to avenge Bella's misfortune, revealing the sordid details of a priest's inner sanctum.