This book is two things: an anthology of Victorian/Edwardian erotic literature, and also an authoritative account of the publisher Charles Carrington, who spent much of his life evading the prudish vagaries of English laws that were directed against such literature. This required him to live mostly in France. The samples chosen for airing in this volume are hardly rare, as they are all widely available in modern editions, but they are not lengthy, and they still convey the message intended by their incorporation. The high standards of Grove Press seem to be largely responsible for the quality of the anthologising, as Richard Manton is well known in his work for other publishers for what sometimes appear to be obfuscation of the origins of works in this genre. The confusion caused by the use of differing titles, and failing to not provide helpful bibliographic detail probably helps sell books, but it often seems perverse to the critically interested reader. Here Manton excels, however, giving a bibliographic summary as well as an excellent account of Carrington and his associates in flight from the plodding Inspector Drew of the constabulary, whose antics are reminiscent of a ‘Carry On’ epic. The book provides a valuable introduction both to Carrington’s life and to the development of his publishing career, including the way his books evolved. ( )