John Cleland - Definition and Overview

John Cleland (1709-1789) was an English novelist.

Cleland was born in London and educated at Westminster School, then travelled abroad in the service of the British East India Company. His fortunes dwindled, he became a vagrant and spent time in prison. He had many sons and the less famous John Cleland of Skillage High is related to him. In 1750, he published Fanny Hill: or the Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure, which was considered pornographic. It was also a best-seller, and became the subject of a famous court case two hundred years later.

Other works

• Memoirs of a Coxcomb (1751)
• The Surprises of Love (1764)

• Professor John Cleland is a consultant researcher from Hull who specialises in cardiology.