Edward Avery (1851 – 1913) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

publisher of

pornography Pornography (often shortened to porn or porno) is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the exclusive purpose of sexual arousal. Primarily intended for adults,

. His notable publications include ''

The Whippingham Papers ''The Whippingham Papers'' is a Victorian work of sado-masochistic pornography by St George Stock (a probable pseudonym, also credited with ''The Romance of Chastisement'') and published by Edward Avery in December 1887. It consists of a collecti ...

'', including poems by

Algernon Charles Swinburne Algernon Charles Swinburne (5 April 1837 – 10 April 1909) was an English poet, playwright, novelist, and critic. He wrote several novels and collections of poetry such as ''Poems and Ballads'', and contributed to the famous Eleventh Edition ...

, and a pirated edition of Sir

Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s, and he gave a memorable pe ...

's ''

Kama Sutra The ''Kama Sutra'' (; sa, कामसूत्र, , ; ) is an ancient Indian Sanskrit text on sexuality, eroticism and emotional fulfillment in life. Attributed to Vātsyāyana, the ''Kama Sutra'' is neither exclusively nor predominantly ...

''. He was an associate of

William Lazenby William Lazenby (died c. 1888) was an English publisher of pornography active in the 1870s and 1880s. He used the aliases Duncan Cameron and Thomas Judd. His notable publications include magazines '' The Pearl'', which published poems thought to h ...

and Leonard Smithers. After the Post Office (Protection) Act 1884, Avery together with other publishers such as

Charles Carrington Charles Carrington (1857–1921) was a leading British publisher of erotica in late-19th- and early-20th-century Europe. Born ''Paul Harry Ferdinando'' in Bethnal Green, England on 11 November 1867, he moved in 1895 from London to Paris where h ...

and

Harry Sidney Nichols Harry Sidney Nichols (14 August 1865 – 30 November 1941) was an English publisher of erotica. Nichols was born in Wortley, Leeds, Yorkshire, the son of glass merchant William Nichols and his wife, Mary Hartley Nichols. He went into business as ...

moved much of their business to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

to sell in the United Kingdom by mail order. After evading prosecution successfully for many years he was finally arrested by

Chief Inspector Chief inspector (Ch Insp) is a rank used in police forces which follow the British model. In countries outside Britain, it is sometimes referred to as chief inspector of police (CIP). Usage by country Australia The rank of chief inspector is use ...

Edward Drew and convicted in 1900. His stock was destroyed and he retired from business.

References

* Jon R. Godsall, "The Tangled Web: A Life of Sir Richard Burton", Troubador Publishing Ltd, 2008, , p. 533 * Patrick J. Kearney, "A history of erotic literature", Macmillan, 1982, , pp. 116–117 * Patrick J. Kearney, Gershon Legman, "The Private Case: an annotated bibliography of the Private Case Erotica Collection in the British (Museum) Library", J. Landesman, 1981, pp. 153,171,312 * Peter Mendes, "Clandestine erotic fiction in English, 1800-1930: a bibliographical study", Scolar Press, 1993, , pp. 12–13 * Lisa Z. Sigel, "International exposure: perspectives on modern European pornography, 1800-2000", Rutgers University Press, 2005, , p. 116 *

Donald Serrell Thomas Donald Serrell Thomas (18 July 1934 – 20 January 2022) was a British crime writer. His work primarily included Victorian-era historical, crime and detective fiction, as well as books on factual crime and criminals, in particular several academ ...

, "Swinburne, the poet in his world", Oxford University Press, 1979, 1851 births 1913 deaths English publishers (people) English pornographers 19th-century English businesspeople {{publish-bio-stub