Kingdom Swann

'Woman will be the death of me,' mutters Kingdom Swann, peering up at the nude woman hung by her wrists from a pillar. An impressive old man with a wonderful wealth of beard, he appears the very picture of Victorian respectability. Yet behind the walls of his Piccadilly studio the erotic fantasies of a generation are being acted out for the eye of his camera. For this master of the epic nude painting has turned his hand to pornography: art has come to life and all hell is breaking loose . . .

'With enormous relish Gibson presents a memorable and hugely enjoyable portrait of both the man and the world he inhabited.' Today

'As in Daniel Defoe's Roxanna, a voyeuristic fascination plays games with high morality.' Times

'Wonderful fun to read.' Daily Mail