Book Review of One of the Great Erotic Books set in India " Venus in India" by Charles Devereaux
India is home to the best erotic literature and art in the world. Even the invaders who came to India were overwhelmed with Indian erotica and added their own concepts and experiences to the formidable array of erotic literature available in India.
The British who came to India and ruled for about 200 years also had many erotic works penned by writers in India. One of the most erotic books written in India and relates the experiences of a British army officer titled "Venus in India" is one such work.
The book is supposed to be penned by an officer of the British Indian army called Charles Devereaux. But on research people have concluded that no writer by this name existed and also no such officer existed. However the authenticity of the book and the fact that it refers to the British-Afghan war of the late 19th century cannot be doubted. Researchers have now concluded that the book was probably authored by Major Crommelin Henry Rickets, an officer of the British Indian army. His parent unit was the 5th Cavalry stationed at Madras, but he probably saw action in the Afghan wars. He served in the Indian army for 21 years and then retired. He probably took the pseudonym Charles Devereaux as he wanted to conceal his identity for writing such a erotic book. Never the less the book " Venus in India" is one of the great erotic books set in British India.
The book faithfully describes army life in British cantonments and their interactions with each other and the Indian maids who worked for them. The novel is in the form of a memoir of a young British officer in one of the cantonments in the North West Frontier. The writer does refers to Naushera, close to Rawalpindi. It relates the love episodes of this officer with 3 sisters who are daughters of a serving Army Major. There are sub plots as well and the sex encounters of the father (Major) with the Indian maids and other interesting episodes adds to the thrill of the book.
The book is written in excellent prose and in no way can be termed obscene and that is why it is considered one of the best erotic books of the 19th century. It also gives us a glimpse of army life. I suppose not much is changed in the Cantonments even now.
I will recommend this book for all to read. It can easily downloaded from the net or bought from Amazon. I have read it at least thrice and it never fails to enthrall me. So happy hunting.
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