Mighty Lewd Books The Development of Pornography in Eighteenth-Century England

Mighty Lewd Booksdescribes the emergence of a new, home-grown English pornography as seen in flagellation novellas which burst to the fore in the 1770s. Prior to this, English erotica had included a particular style of bawdy material marked by its euphemisms and double entendres. Through the examination of over 500 pieces of British erotica, this book looks at sex as seen in erotic culture, religion and medicine throughout the long eighteenth-century, and provides a radical new approach to the study of sexuality.

Julie Peakman is at Oxford Brookes University.

"Peakman's book is rich with detail and she presents texts that have long been hidden from view. A must read." - Margaret C. Jacob, UCLA

"... well-researched, well-documented, well-argued and coherent... makes a substantial contribution to scholarship." - Roy Porter