Doctor Reynard's Experiment by Robert Black (Idol / Virgin Publishing, 1998)

A Victorian-set gay erotic novel from Idol, Virgin Publishing's now-defunct homoerotic fiction imprint. Written by Robert Black, who produced three titles for the line.

The year is 1885. Walter Starling, a shy and religious young man, takes up a new post as footman in the London household of Dr Richard Reynard, a dashing young surgeon and society favourite. Bored of polite drawing rooms and high society rituals, Reynard falls in with Lord Spearman, a sadistic and predatory aristocrat who pulls him into the hidden underworld of homosexual Victorian London. Brothels, flagellation houses, secret cabarets and dangerous strangers. As Spearman pushes Reynard further into extremes, Reynard turns to his young servant for safety, and Walter finds his faith and principles tested against his growing feelings for his master.

Cover design by Slatter-Anderson, cover photography by Colin Clarke. Adult fiction, originally retailed at £6.99. 256 pages.

The Idol imprint has been out of print since 2004 and copies in any condition are increasingly hard to source. Robert Black's titles are among the more sought-after in the line. A strong addition for collectors of vintage gay paperbacks or Victorian-set queer fiction.

Condition:Light Shelf wear (Please see scans)

ISBN: 9780352332523