author

John Camden Hotten

1832–1873

A lively and controversial figure in Victorian publishing, this London bookseller turned rare curiosities, slang, folklore, and scandal into a distinctive body of work. Best remembered for his influential slang dictionary and his taste for unusual texts, he helped preserve corners of popular culture that others ignored.

3 Audiobooks

The History of Signboards, from the Earliest times to the Present Day

The History of Signboards, from the Earliest times to the Present Day

by Jacob Larwood, John Camden Hotten

The slang dictionary : Etymological, historical and anecdotal

The slang dictionary : Etymological, historical and anecdotal

by John Camden Hotten

A Dictionary of Slang, Cant, and Vulgar Words Used at the Present Day in the Streets of London; the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge; the Houses of Parliament; the Dens of St. Giles; and the Palaces of St. James.

A Dictionary of Slang, Cant, and Vulgar Words Used at the Present Day in the Streets of London; the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge; the Houses of Parliament; the Dens of St. Giles; and the Palaces of St. James.

by John Camden Hotten

About the author

Born in Clerkenwell, London, on September 12, 1832, he began in the book trade young and developed a strong interest in rare and curious books. He later became known as a publisher, bibliophile, and writer with a special feel for popular speech, odd literature, and the byways of literary history.

His best-known book is A Dictionary of Modern Slang, Cant, and Vulgar Words (1859), an early and important attempt to record living informal English. He also published and compiled works on folklore, jest books, popular customs, and historical records, including The Original Lists of Persons of Quality.

Hotten's career was energetic and sometimes controversial. He published a wide range of material, from literary and antiquarian works to books that pushed against Victorian respectability, and he became especially noted for issuing erotic titles in secretive ways. He died at Hampstead on June 14, 1873.