Other editions of book Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure

Madam, I sit down to give you an undeniable proof of my considering your desires as indispensable orders. Ungracious then as the task may be, I shall recall to view those scandalous stages of my life, out of which I emerg'd, at length, to the enjoyment of every blessing in the power of love, health, and fortune to bestow; whilst yet in the flower of youth, and not too late to employ the leisure afforded me by great ease and affluence, to cultivate an understanding, naturally not a despicable one, and which had, even amidst the whirl of loose pleasures I had been tost in, exerted more observation on the characters and manners of the world than what is common to those of my unhappy profession

Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure, first published in 1749 and known popularly as Fanny Hill, was one of the most famous novels of the eighteenth century and has been in print ever since. Though not the first erotic novel, Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure has survived as both an illustrative social document and a keenly insightful look into the nature of sexuality.

Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure, better known as 'Fanny Hill,' is one of the most notorious texts in English literature. As recently as 1963 an unexpurgated edition was the subject of a trial, yet in the 18th century John Cleland's open celebration of sexual enjoyment was a best selling novel. Fanny's story, as she falls into prostitution and then rises to respectability, takes the form of a confession that is vividly colored by copious and explicit physiological details of her carnal adventures. The moral outrage that this has always provoked has only recently been countered by serious critical appraisal. Cleland's highly entertaining book is a classic of erotica that holds a unique place in English fiction. Complete and unabridged.

This edition contains the following text: "Over 200 years ago, John Cleland's Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure was first published in this country. Since then its vicissitudes have been many. It has been attacked, defended, reviled. Academic and critical authorities consider it a minor classic in the history of literature. Only in the United States of America can the full unexpurgated edition can be sold. This edition, following the Mayflower Trial of Fanny Hill is now presented for the first time by Mayflower-Dell paperbacks."