John Camden Hotten
Encyclopedia
John Camden Hotten was an English
bibliophile and publisher.
Hotten was born in Clerkenwell, London
to a family of Cornish
origins. He spent the period 1848–1856 in America and on his return opened a small bookshop in London at 151a Piccadilly
, and founded the publishing firm later known as Chatto & Windus. He was a compiler of an English language
dictionary of slang
: first published in 1859 under the title A dictionary of modern slang, cant, and vulgar words, the book was reprinted numerous times. He was also a collector, author and clandestine publisher of pornographic works such as The Romance of Chastisement
, Exhibition of Female Flagellants
and the pornographic comic opera Lady Bumtickler's Revels
, some in a series entitled The Library Illustrative of Social Progress
.. He was an associate of the poet Algernon Charles Swinburne
, publishing his Poems and Ballads after Moxon and Co. rejected them. However, Cecil Lang claims in his preface to Swinburne's Letters that Hotten had effectively blackmailed Swinburne into providing him with pornographic verse.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
bibliophile and publisher.
Hotten was born in Clerkenwell, 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...
to a family of Cornish
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
origins. He spent the period 1848–1856 in America and on his return opened a small bookshop in London at 151a Piccadilly
Piccadilly
Piccadilly is a major street in central London, running from Hyde Park Corner in the west to Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is completely within the city of Westminster. The street is part of the A4 road, London's second most important western artery. St...
, and founded the publishing firm later known as Chatto & Windus. He was a compiler of an English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
dictionary of slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
: first published in 1859 under the title A dictionary of modern slang, cant, and vulgar words, the book was reprinted numerous times. He was also a collector, author and clandestine publisher of pornographic works such as The Romance of Chastisement
The Romance of Chastisement
The Romance of Chastisement is a Victorian pornographic collection on the theme of flagellation by St George Stock and published by John Camden Hotten in 1866...
, 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 the pornographic comic opera Lady Bumtickler's Revels
Lady Bumtickler's Revels
Lady Bumtickler’s Revels is a pornographic comic opera on the theme of flagellation written and published by John Camden Hotten in 1872 in his series The Library Illustrative of Social Progress. It purports to have been "performed at Lady Bumtickler’s private theatre in Birch Grove, with unbounded...
, some in a series entitled The Library Illustrative of Social Progress
The Library Illustrative of Social Progress
The Library Illustrative of Social Progress was a series of pornographic books published by John Camden Hotten around 1872 . They were mainly reprints of eighteenth-century pornographic works on flagellation...
.. He was an associate of the poet Algernon Charles Swinburne
Algernon Charles Swinburne
Algernon Charles Swinburne was an English poet, playwright, novelist, and critic. He invented the roundel form, wrote several novels, and contributed to the famous Eleventh Edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica...
, publishing his Poems and Ballads after Moxon and Co. rejected them. However, Cecil Lang claims in his preface to Swinburne's Letters that Hotten had effectively blackmailed Swinburne into providing him with pornographic verse.
External links
- Oxford DNB entry for John Camden Hotten
- Slang Dictionary: Etymological, Historical, and Anecdotal By John Camden Hotten. 1874 ed. at Google books