Sweet Rose: Baytown Boys

James Havoc is the pen-name of James Williamson, a British extreme writer of esoteric horror and erotica from Plymouth.[1] Moving to Brighton in later life, he made friends with Alan McGee of Creation Records and became chief editor of Creation Books, Creation Records’ book division.[2] McGee has commented on Williamson/Havoc in his autobiography, Creation Stories […]

According to late Greek sources on classical mythology, Astyanassa (Ancient Greek: Ἀστυάνασσα) was Helen of Troy’s maid. The 10th century scholar Photius, citing Ptolemy Chennus, mentions the story that Aphrodite lent her magical embroidered band (kestos himas) to Helen, to ensure that Paris would fall in love with her, and that Astyanassa stole it.[1] The […]

Sotades (Greek: Σωτάδης; 3rd century BC) was an Ancient Greek poet. Sotades was born in Maroneia,[1] either the one in Thrace, or in Crete. He lived in Alexandria during the reign of Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285-246 BC). The city was at that time a remarkable center of learning, with a great deal of artistic and […]

Nicolas-Edme Rétif or Nicolas-Edme Restif (French: [ʁetif]; 23 October 1734 – 3 February 1806), also known as Rétif or Restif de la Bretonne, was a French novelist. The term retifism for shoe fetishism was named after him. Born the son of a farmer at Sacy (Yonne), Rétif was educated by the Jansenists at Bicêtre, and on […]

Mathilde Madden, pen name of Mathilda Gregory, is a British erotica author and Guardian journalist.[1] Her novel Equal Opportunities is about a female sadist who sexually dominates a man left wheelchair bound after an accident. Her other novels include Mad About the Boy, about women paying men for sex and Peep Show, about a female […]