George Cannon (publisher)
Encyclopedia
George Cannon was an English
solicitor, radical activist and publisher and pornographer who also used the pseudonym
s Erasmus Perkins and Philosemus.
Around 1812 he became associated with freethinking discussion groups in London
and in 1815 he edited, as "Erasmus Perkins", a radical periodical Theological Inquirer; or Polemical Magazine, with which Percy Bysshe Shelley
was associated, and in which "Perkins" published extracts from Queen Mab
: his relationship with Shelley was somewhat hostile. Cannon contributed to the Political Register
of William Benbow
and was also a friend of Daniel Isaac Eaton
. He acted as laywer for the anti-slavery campaigner Robert Wedderburn and may have drafted some of his polemics.
In 1822 he was publishing obscene anti-establishment parodies and satires; by 1830 his publications were sheer pornography and he was prosecuted numerous times: in 1830 he was convicted of obscene libel for publishing a French-language edition of de Sade's Juliette. His pornographic publications specialised in flagellation with such titles as The Birchen Bouquet
, Exhibition of Female Flagellants
and, as "Philosemus", Venus School-Mistress. He promoted the exhibition of the Berkley Horse
by the Royal Society of Arts
in 1837 after it was bequeathed to them by inventor Theresa Berkley
.
Cannon died in 1854 and his widow continued his publishing business.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
solicitor, radical activist and publisher and pornographer who also used the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
s Erasmus Perkins and Philosemus.
Around 1812 he became associated with freethinking discussion groups in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and in 1815 he edited, as "Erasmus Perkins", a radical periodical Theological Inquirer; or Polemical Magazine, with which Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley was one of the major English Romantic poets and is critically regarded as among the finest lyric poets in the English language. Shelley was famous for his association with John Keats and Lord Byron...
was associated, and in which "Perkins" published extracts from Queen Mab
Queen Mab (poem)
Queen Mab; A Philosophical Poem; With Notes, published in 1813 in nine cantos with seventeen notes, was the first large poetic work written by Percy Bysshe Shelley , the English Romantic poet...
: his relationship with Shelley was somewhat hostile. Cannon contributed to the Political Register
Political Register
The Political Register was a weekly newspaper founded by William Cobbett in 1802 and ceased publication in 1835, the year of his death.Originally propounding Tory views, and costing a shilling, Cobbett changed his editorial line to embrace radicalism, such as advocating widening the suffrage...
of William Benbow
William Benbow
William Benbow was a non-conformist preacher and a leader of the Great Reform Movement in Manchester, England.Benbow worked with William Cobbett on the radical newspaper The Political Register. Faced with being imprisoned for sedition he fled to the United States where he continued to work on the...
and was also a friend of Daniel Isaac Eaton
Daniel Isaac Eaton
Daniel Isaac Eaton was an English radical author, publisher and activist. He was tried eight times for selling radical literature and convicted in 1812 for selling Age of Reason....
. He acted as laywer for the anti-slavery campaigner Robert Wedderburn and may have drafted some of his polemics.
In 1822 he was publishing obscene anti-establishment parodies and satires; by 1830 his publications were sheer pornography and he was prosecuted numerous times: in 1830 he was convicted of obscene libel for publishing a French-language edition of de Sade's Juliette. His pornographic publications specialised in flagellation with such titles as The Birchen Bouquet
The Birchen Bouquet
The Birchen Bouquet is a work of pornography first published around 1770, reprinted in 1826 by George Cannon, in 1860 by William Dugdale and again in 1881 by William Lazenby...
, Exhibition of Female Flagellants
Exhibition of Female Flagellants
Exhibition of Female Flagellants is a pornographic novel published by George Cannon in London in 1830 and attributed, probably falsely, to Theresa Berkley. The principal activity described is flagellation, mainly of women by women, described in a theatrical, fetishistic style...
and, as "Philosemus", Venus School-Mistress. He promoted the exhibition of the Berkley Horse
Berkley Horse
The Berkley Horse is a BDSM apparatus, supposedly designed for, or by, Theresa Berkley in 1828. She referred to it as a "chevalet".According to the account of Henry Spencer Ashbee:He continues:...
by the Royal Society of Arts
Royal Society of Arts
The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce is a British multi-disciplinary institution, based in London. The name Royal Society of Arts is frequently used for brevity...
in 1837 after it was bequeathed to them by inventor Theresa Berkley
Theresa Berkley
Theresa Berkley or Berkeley was a 19th-century English dominatrix who ran a brothel in Hallam Street, just to the east of Portland Place, Marylebone, London, specialising in flagellation...
.
Cannon died in 1854 and his widow continued his publishing business.