{"product_id":"10-volumes-only-of-the-memoir-my-secret-life-by-walter-1888-reprint","title":"10 Volumes ONLY of the Memoir My Secret Life by \"Walter\", 1888, Reprint","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e10 volumes ONLY\u003c\/strong\u003e. 20cm x 13.3cm, approximately 300-320pp each. Volume I has staples\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe work itself is enormous, amounting to over one million words, the eleven original volumes amounting to over 4,000 pages. The text is repetitive and highly disorganised, and the literary quality is negligible, but its frank discussion of sexual matters and other hidden aspects of Victorian life make it a rare and valuable social document. According to Steven Marcus, it is virtually the only source for information on London Houses of Prostitution, in which Walter spent many hours. It has been described as \"one of the strangest and most obsessive books ever written\".\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cb\u003eKey Bibliographic Details\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eAnonymous (Widely attributed to\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eHenry Spencer Ashbee\u003c\/b\u003e, a Victorian bibliographer and erotica collector).\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eImprint:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eAmsterdam: Privately Printed for Subscribers.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eOriginal Publication Year:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e1888 (The series was printed between 1888 and 1894).\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eOriginal Publisher:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eLikely\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuguste Brancart\u003c\/b\u003e, a Belgian publisher based in Amsterdam who specialised in \"forbidden\" literature.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eHistorical Significance\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr aria-hidden=\"true\"\u003eWhile originally banned as \"smut,\" historians now view\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eMy Secret Life\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eas a rare and invaluable social document. Because \"Walter\" was obsessive about detail, he recorded the voices, slang, prices, and living conditions of the Victorian underclass—specifically prostitutes and servants—that mainstream writers like Charles Dickens or Thomas Hardy could never describe due to the censorship of the era.\u003cbr aria-hidden=\"true\"\u003e•\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Original (1888):\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eThe true first edition was limited to only\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e25 copies\u003c\/b\u003e. These were printed on high-quality paper with specific watermarks (like \"Van Gelder\"). A complete 11-volume set of the originals is extremely rare and can sell for over\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e$40,000 (£32,500)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eat auction houses like Christie's.\u003cbr aria-hidden=\"true\"\u003e•\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eReprints:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eBecause the book was banned for so long, many clandestine reprints appeared throughout the 20th century.\u003cbr aria-hidden=\"true\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e1930s-1960s:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ePirated editions often used the \"Amsterdam 1888\" text on the cover to bypass authorities or add \"collector\" appeal, even if they were printed much later in New York or London. There's 5.00 on the front cover which may refer to New York?\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher: \u003c\/strong\u003e\"Privately Printed for Subscribers\" Amsterdam\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eDate of Publication:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e1888, This is a reprint circa 1960s\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEdition:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eFirst Edition\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eEnglish\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCondition:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eGood for its age with a few stains on the covers and edges. The pages have oxidised but are internally clean with no annotations. The binding is good, Please refer to photos for condition.\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Anonymous","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48504952029403,"sku":"N\/A","price":200.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0654\/9284\/4763\/files\/C00C6346-DB9E-42B0-9E47-95E2344A2936_1_105_c.jpg?v=1774330320","url":"https:\/\/tstextbooks.com.au\/products\/10-volumes-only-of-the-memoir-my-secret-life-by-walter-1888-reprint","provider":"T's Textbooks","version":"1.0","type":"link"}