You may think that the eroticism that dominates current society is due to the sexual revolution of the 60's.

But a three years doctoral research at University of Leeds points out that prostitutes, perversions and public scandals were just as familiar to readers three centuries ago as they are today and that erotic literature was widespread. "I tried to get a grip on just how many were published, detail the various types of sexual behavior portrayed and find out who was doing what - and to whom. There was a huge amount of erotic literature published in the 18th century", said Jenny Skipp, the author.

"They would be read in public - everywhere from London's rough-and-ready alehouses to the city's thriving coffee houses, which weren't quite the focus of polite society in the way we sometimes think," she explained. "Some texts even came as questions and answers and were clearly intended for groups of men to read together, with one asking the questions and the others answering them."

Many texts are derogatory to women: they are depicted as subordinates, courtesans, prostitutes, carriers of venereal diseases and bearers of deformed children. "When men write this way, or read these texts, it gives them a context for asserting their authority over women," Skipp added.

Other texts describe the nature of female sexuality or lascivious aristocratic females.

Predominant figures in this literature are the Libertines, hedonistic, smoking, drinking, swearing, pleasure-seeking men presented as women subjugators.

The price analysis revealed that much of this work, from books to single-sheet pamphlets, was cheap and widely available.

Even if many in the poor groups were regarded as illiterate because they could not sign their name, they were able to read and this way, sexual attitudes penetrated down the social strata. "Many more people could read than write. In London, for example, we believe about 70 % of men could read. The price and content of this material suggests it was available to merchants, traders, skilled and semi-skilled men and even laborers," said Skipp. "Jenny has shown that erotic texts are about much more than sexual fantasy. They can give us genuine new insights into cultural attitudes, sexual norms and social customs," said Dr Simon Burrows, one of Skipp's PhD supervisors.

"It is very different to today's erotica. It is more humorous, more literary and more engaged with the wider issues of the life and politics of the times." warned Skipp. "At a time when military power was equated with virility, armed conquest is often used as a metaphor for sex - in phrases such as 'unsheathing the weapon', 'storming the fort' and 'releasing the cannon'."

Beginning with the 1770s, the transcripts of adultery trials turned into a new source of excitement. "To secure a divorce, a man would first have to successfully sue a rival for 'violating his property', before petitioning Parliament to dissolve the marriage. There is something rather voyeuristic about these trials. Often servants would give evidence while innkeepers would testify about lovers taking rooms together," said Skipp.

"The appetite for this kind of material shows readers were interested in gossip about their social betters and fascinated by the sordid details of marital breakdown - just like modern-day readers scanning the tabloids for a juicy scandal. The production of erotica was frequently stimulated by intrigues in the lives of well-known public figures - the aristocracy, politicians, writers, playwrights and actresses and occasionally the monarchy. The wives and mistresses were both celebrated and derided in erotic texts - they were the WAGS of their day. Eighteenth century readers were just as fascinated with public figures as we are today - especially when they had skeletons in their closet!"