John Cleland 
Memoirs of Fanny Hill 

In a series of letters to an unknown woman, Fanny defends her lifein particular her career as a prostitute. With its extraordinary and explicit descriptions of sex Fanny Hill scandalized the world upon its release and resulted in author John Cleland’s arrest for obscenity. Fanny Hill was not formally published until the mid-20th century, and continues to be revered as an erotic classic.