A question of attribution: Patrick Henden, Gordon Grimley and Anonymous

I'm currently enjoying Dorothea by Patrick Henden. The book is presented as Victorian erotica, but somehow doesn't quite ring true as Victorian prose, and the fevered poetic style is very much reminiscent of another favorite, Beatrice by Gordon Grimley. My Erotic Print Society edition of the latter provides plausible biographical details on Grimley - sometime managing director of Penthouse International - and extracts from the introduction to a previous edition, written by . . Patrick Henden. To add to the confusion, my 1990 Blue Moon edition of Dorothea, attributed to Henden in later printings from the same publisher, is credited to the illustrious name of Anonymous.

It seems quite likely that Henden and Grimley were one and the same, and that both were sometimes Anonymous, and the author of Venus in the Country, a title spoken highly of here. Can anyone confirm this? Clifford informs us that Venus is sometimes known as Pamela and was originally issued by Grove Press. The use of women's names as titles clouds the picture further, making Touchstones unusable here. Is Grimley's Beatrice, the same as Henden's Beatrice, and as that of Anonymous?

Beyond being an interesting bibliographical puzzle, these are stylish and well written books, and if they do share a common origin it would good to have a exhaustive list of titles by the author - whoever he was!

I've noticed some similarities between Venus in the Country and Arabella, if I remember correctly. Some of the same phrases crop up. And I'd wager Vanessa is by the same author.
I always thought Beatrice and Laura had the same author-they share a similar dreamy, poetic style.
It would be great to have a list of his titles. He's my favorite erotica author, so it'd be great to find more books.

I agree that there are significant similarities amongst the 'Victorian genre', mostly published by admirable Grove Press, of which a few titles are examined briefly here. I have found such similarities amongst almost all of the Grove books, and it is clear that many of these are the result of the deliberate obfuscation initiated (ar at least encouraged) by Carrington's publishing activities. The legal situation at the time at least gave him more excuse for this than the current anonymity practiced by more modern authors and publishers, such as the outputs of Aishling Morgan and Penny Birch. There is considerable doubt in my mind whether true authorship will ever be established for the great majority of erotic literature.

Those who enjoy the titles cited might find perusal of the whole Grove Press series rewarding. 'Clara Birch', 'Astrid Cane', and Birch in the Boudoir would be a good place to start.

Just for completeness, here's the relevant extract from the EPS intro to Beatrice: "The author, though 'Anonymous' was in fact one Gordon Grimley, sometime managing director of Penthouse International and, by all accounts, a charming man. He wrote Beatrice when he was about sixty years old, which makes his date of birth around 1920."

Librarything also credits Grimley with Wicked Victorians: An Anthology of Clandestine Literature of the Nineteenth Century, Erotic illustrations : an anthology and The Victorian Cookery book(!) which suggests a single individual with a consistent line of interest.

Dorothea seems a cruder piece of work than Beatrice, perhaps earlier, perhaps written faster or with a collaborator, but it does feature certain definite common turns of phrase.