Prostitution Considered in its Moral, Social and Sanitary Aspects

by William; Fryer Acton

NY 1968. Reprint of original 1870 edition. Octavo, 252pp., hardcover. Ink date and signature on front free blan, residue of price label inside front cover. VG plus in VG DJ, price clipped, a few stains and light soiling.

Genres: Nonfiction

1000 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1857

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting look at prostitution in the Victorian era. Acton looks at the problems, causes and solutions for prostitution and almost always keeps in mind the women who are selling themselves. He does not place the blame for prostitution solely on women, which must have been a highly controversial idea at the time, but rather believes that women do not want to be prostitutes and that poverty and circumstance often pushes them in to such a life. He also blames the demand for prostitution, taking the stance that it is not always, or even frequently, the women who seduce the men, but rather the want men have for prostitutes that is a major contributor. He looks at society, marriage, poverty and the structure of hospitals to determine the causes of prostitution and attempts to suggest methods to prevent women from falling in to such a profession and keeping the spread of venereal diseases down. He looks overseas, mostly at France, to see how English prostitutes and French filles de joix are regulated and treated in an attempt to ameliorate the lives of the English.

Taken in the context of the era, Acton's writings would have been ground-breaking, and taken in our own time, his writing gives a better idea of the lifestyle of prostitutes in the Victorian era. These women were not the Hollywood harlots with painted faces, gaudy outfits and no teeth, but, as Acton describes a room of prostitutes who are listening to a preacher, they are indistinguishable from other middle class women of the time.

[John Garlington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of this book was relevant to my research.