Cambridge University's secret porn stash isn't
The Cambridge University Library's tower has long been rumored to be packed with vintage pornography books from the Victorian era. Now, a million dollar grant is funding the online cataloging of the 170,000 publications in the 17 floor tower. Turns out, the closest thing to erotica up there are titles like "A Golden Guide To Matrimony" and "Flirting Made Easy." They're mixed in with the likes of "How to mesmerize" and "Wasps have stings; or, beware of tight-lacing." (Shhhh... I heard they moved the real hardcore stuff to the library's sub-basement.) From The Telegraph:
Students of pornography can take heart, however, because more recent erotica is kept there thanks to its copyright library status.Link to The Telegraph, Link to the Cambridge University Library Tower Project (via Cabinet of Wonders)
(Vanessa Lacey, the manager of the Cambridge University Library Tower Project,) said: "There's plenty of pornography in the library which is more recent.
"People can come and have a look at it - for their research. But there's nothing terribly racy from the 19th century. What we found is the Mills and Boon of the era."
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Vanessa Lacey - that sounds suspiciously porn star-ish. She's lying, it's a porn conspiracy!
So this raises the question: Where is the Victorian era porn, and how come Violet Blue has not posted/reviewed it yet?
Right idea, wrong University. I'd wager erotic illuminations are stored somewhere in The Bodleian library.
Stephen Fry mentioned it in his book, "The Liar" - something which someone at the Daily Telegraph has also remembered.
Ooops, should have read the article first ... :-S
The real university porn stash is at the Kinsey Institute at Indiana university. It's often rumored as the second largest in the world, bested by only the Vatican. Alas, they have confirmed that is not true. But it is a pretty freaking big collection. Alas, the stacks are closed and all porn must be viewed in the reading room with white felt gloves on.
http://www.kinseyinstitute.org/library/
I took several tours in undergrad and the walls of the place are lined with an amazing collection of historic and/or arty porn.
This being the web, you just know there are hundreds of white felt glove fetishists reading that and saying "YESSSSSS!"
I'm waiting for the Vatican Collection--I might even subscribe!
Considering the inclinations of the previous Popes, I think you might want to reconsider that subscription. They weren't very nice men.
There is a book entitled "Velvet Eden" by Richard Merkin (if that is his real name) which is a collection of victorian pornographic images. Quite a find I must say for only a dollar at the local library book sale.
I can confirm that some seriously racy turn of the century stuff is stored at the Bodleian library in Oxford. Mainly 'Academic Studies' of naked tribes with suspiciously low academic value (IE, Which are the prettiest tribeswomen without clothes).
However you don't have to visit to see this, as it was sent to the Google Digitisation Project. Expect it to be outraging prudes on an internet near you very soon :D
Google, is there anything you can't do?
Mr Ferret