Hairy Cock Play
The Sins of the Cities of the Plain; or, The Recollections of a
Mary-Ann, with Short Essays on Sodomy and Tribadism, by the pseudonymous
"Jack Saul", is one of the first exclusively homosexual works of
pornographic literature published in English. It has been suggested that
it was largely written by James Campbell Reddie and the painter Simeon
Solomon, who had been convicted of public indecency in 1873 and
disgraced. Reddie died several years before its publication, and was ill
with poor eyesight prior to that, which makes his connection less
likely. The book was first published in 1881 by William Lazenby, who
printed 250 copies. A second edition was published by Leonard Smithers
in 1902. It sold for an expensive four guineas. John Saul was an actual
male prostitute of Irish birth, known as 'Dublin Jack', who was involved
in a homosexual scandal at Dublin castle in 1884, and later in the
Cleveland Street scandal. The book is clearly inspired by him, and it is
possible he shared his experiences with the anonymous author/s. Factual
details suggest the book could be based on an authentic rentboy's
account, but one that has been elaborated.There are consistencies with
the real life Saul, but also discrepancies: he was of Irish birth, but
in the book he is English.
