Conditions Governing Access
Publication Rights
Preferred Citation
Processing Information
Organizational History
Scope and Content of Collection
Arrangement
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
SJSU Special Collections and Archives
Title: Kensington Ladies’ Erotica Society Collection
Identifier/Call Number: MSS-2013-22-08
Physical Description:
2 boxes (2.6 Linear feet)
Date (inclusive): 1977-2006
Date (bulk): 1983-1988
Abstract: The Kensington Ladies’ Erotica Society Collection documents the variety of activities, organizations, publications, photographs,
and news articles about the society.
Language of Material: Languages represented in the collection: English
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Copyright has been assigned to the San José State University Library Special Collections and Archives. All requests for permission
to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Special Collections. Permission for publication
is given on behalf of the SJSU Special Collections and Archives as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to
include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader. Copyright restrictions also
apply to digital reproductions of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.
Preferred Citation
The Kensington Ladies’ Erotica Society Collection, MSS-2013-22-08, San José State University Library Special Collections and
Archives.
Processing Information
Processed by: Lale Yasemin Kaya
Reviewed by: Danelle Moon, Stephanie Waslohn, and Diane Malmstrom
Date completed: July 2014
Edited: January 2015
ArchiveSpace input by: Lale Yasemin Kaya
Date: July 2014
Organizational History
In 1977, Sabina Sedgewick founded The Kensington Ladies’ Erotica Society by initiating the society’s first meeting at a potluck
dinner at her house. With inspiration from Sedgewick, the ladies’ first assignment was to expand on their love for food,
in which they each created an individual recipe for their ideal lover. Sedgewick asked the society whether or not women and
men agree on what is erotic. To explore this question, the society continued to meet every month at one of the member’s homes.
The Erotica meetings commenced with chilled wine, hors-d'œuvres, and finally the moment of Erotica would begin. Together,
the ladies recollected about their sexual awakenings, by slowly and randomly assembling information; from pulp magazines,
the dictionary, comparing their anatomies, and eavesdropping on conversations not meant for their ears. The result of these
meetings lead to the society’s first publication, Ladies Home Erotica: Tales, Recipes, and Other Mischiefs by Older Women
(1984), later published as Ladies’ Own Erotica (February 1986). Then, The Erotic Companion: An Illustrated Write-Your-Own
Erotic Journal was published in 1985 by Pat Adler of The Kensington Ladies’ Erotica Society. Afterwards Look Homeward Erotica
was published 1986, followed by the society’s final publication, Sex, Death, and Other Distractions (2002).
Scope and Content of Collection
The collection consists of administrative records, correspondences, ephemera, periodicals, photographs, sound recordings,
and writings. The majority of the collection contains books and written material, including individual rough drafts of book
chapters, journals, poetry, and short stories. In addition, the collection contains information regarding the policies and
procedures of the society. There is also a variety of correspondences between publishing and royalty houses, along with many
invoices that record the costs of distribution and sales. The rest of the collection contains photographs of the people in
the society, name tags and ribbons, along with advertisements, book-buying catalogs, and newspaper clippings that trace the
history of the society’s success.
Arrangement
The arrangement of this collection consists of seven series documenting 1977-2002: Series I, Administrative Records, 1983-2006,
is arranged chronologically and then alphabetically by title; Series II, Correspondences, 1983-2000, is arranged chronologically
and then alphabetically by title; Series III, Ephemera, no dates, is arranged by format; Series IV, Periodicals, 1972-1992,
is arranged chronologically and then alphabetically by title; Series V, Photographs, 1984-1988, is arranged chronologically
in folders and intact with their respective albums; Series VI, Sound Recordings, no dates, is arranged in a folder; Series
VII, Writings, 1974-2000, is arranged alphabetically by authors’ pseudonym (last name, first name), then alphabetically by
title, and then by draft edition number.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Erotic stories, American -- California
American fiction -- 20th century
Sexual fantasies -- California
American fiction -- Women authors
Erotic literature, American -- California
Velora Moore (Jenna York)
Judy McBride (Emma Hawksly)
Frances Rowe (Claudia Morton)
Annegret Ogden (Sabina Sedgewick)
Laurel Cook (Elvira Pearson)
Nenelle Bunnin (Nell Port)
Pat Adler (Rose Solomon)
Ann Fisher (Susan Hutchinson)
Sascha Dorgeloh (Bernadette Vaughan)