September Series of the Month: Bibliography of Forbidden Books

In these scary Orwell-like times, Cosimo is celebrating Banned Books Week with Bibliography of Forbidden Books by Henry Spencer Ashbee as our Series of the Month for September!

In this three-volume work that established Henry Spencer Ashbee, British book collector, travel writer and bibliographer, as England's leading authority on pornography, Ashbee describes scores of "curious, uncommon and erotic books" that were banned or otherwise prohibited from legitimate sale during the Victorian era... and some even until the 1960s. This catalog of mostly forgotten works is an invaluable (and highly entertaining) resource for bibliophiles, students of erotica, and collectors of Victoriana.

This series contains "gentlemen only" titles such as: Intrigues and Confessions of a Ballet Girl, The Pleasures of Kissing and Being Kissed, the infamous Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure, the Cloisters Laid Open, Memoirs of Miss Mary-Catherine Cadiere, and Pretty Little Games for Young Ladies and Gentlemen.

About the Author
British book collector, travel writer, and bibliographer Henry Spencer Ashbee (1834-1900), aka Pisanus Fraxi, is thought by some to have authored the notorious Victorian sexual memoir My Secret Life.

About the Organization

Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. The 2019 celebration will be held September 22  -September 28, the theme this year is Censorship Leaves Us in the Dark. To find an event near you, please visit the Banned Books website.


The hardcover retail list price for the series is $101.97, but now: our price: $79.99 (you save $22 or a 27 percent discount)

The paperback retail list price for the series is $74.97, but now: our price: $59.99 (you save $15 or a 26 percent discount)