Lady Pokingham (Unabridged‪)‬

This book is intended for adults only as it contains explicit language and descriptions of sexual activities.

Lady Pokingham first appeared as a serialized novel in several issues of The Pearl, an underground magazine of erotica that was published during the Victorian age. The Victorian age was one of sexual repression, where sex was frowned upon for anything but bearing children and even then, it was to be enjoyed, "as little as possible." Of course, repression always leads to pushback, and that's evident in the many erotic books and magazines that appeared during this era. They were wildly popular of course, even though often written anonymously for fear of reprisal.  

One big difference in Victorian erotic writing, compared to such writing today, is that the characters are often lighthearted and guilt free. There is no angst, no qualms of conscience, no regret, and no jealousy. The people in the story are absolutely free of inhibitions and see no problem with that. In fact, they think it's wonderful! They love sex, in all its variety and often with as many partners as possible. This, of course, was the absolute antithesis of official Victorian society, which tried to portray itself as upright, strict, and full of virtue. That was, no doubt, the point. The stories are not meant to be realistic. They are meant to be stimulating and unrestrained. The authors are basically thumbing their noses at Victorian repression by writing scenarios that show what the the opposite of sexual repression would look like.   

Lady Pokingham recounts the life of Beatrice, a headstrong young woman, who delights in obtaining sexual satisfaction as often, and with as many people, as possible. As the Introduction says, "The subject of these memoirs is Lady Beatrice Pokingham, one of the brightest and most charming of her sex. Imbued with exquisite beauty and a most beguiling eroticism, her passion for seduction created a life of intense bliss."