ABSTRACT
From th e preliminar y report , b y G.K . Fortesque , t o th e Trustee s o f th e Britis h Museum, concernin g the Ashbe e bequest , date d '28 Oct . 1900' :
'. . . ther e ar e als o abou t 100 0 work s i n 160 0 vols . (exclusiv e o f duplicates ) of an erotic o r obscen e character . [I n a late r repor t b y Fortesqu e (1901) , thi s numbe r i s changed t o 237 9 volumes , fo r 'man y book s hav e bee n adde d t o th e "Privat e Cas e Books" from th e Genera l collection'. ] These includ e numbers o f earl y edition s o f the Works o f Sad e an d Andre a d e Nerciat , togethe r wit h man y edition s o f th e . . . "Elegantae Latina e Sermonis " publishe d wit h th e nam e o f Meursius , work s b y o r falsely attribute d t o Mirabea u an d othe r book s o f a detestabl e characte r o f som e historical or bibliographica l interest and of much pecuniary value . Mr. Fortesqu e beg s to recommen d tha t these books be placed in the "private cases" wher e thei r inspectio n by th e readers may be subject to th e same rigorous restriction s as the other book s thus treated . . . With regar d t o th e duplicate s of obscene books , Mr . Fortesqu e ha s been through th e whol e collectio n and ha s placed i n six boxes the duplicate copies TOGETHER WITH A QUANTITY OF OFFENSIVE MATTE R WHIC H IS OF NO VALU E OR INTEREST AN D WHIC H COUL D NO T POSSIBL Y B E DISTRIBUTED , [m y italics and capitals]. He asks permission o f the Trustees t o destroy th e contents of these boxes, i n accedin g t o th e ter m o f Mr . Ashbee' s wil l [thi s las t phras e ('in ' t o 'will' ) crossed ou t in the original: Ashbee's wil l did indeed stipulat e the destruction of obscene duplicates, bu t no t any othe r 'matter' , 'offensive ' o r otherwise] , whic h can be done o n the premises. '
