Patricia Anderson argues that far from being the prudes of modern legend, the Victorians were avidly engaged in the erotic side of life. They were, Anderson boldly proclaims, actually sexier than we are, despite the sexual revolution.

When Passion Reigned evokes an era utterly different from our own: a time when sexuality was carefully nurtured rather than exploited, a time when passion was a quiet but constant and visible presence. Drawing upon many previously untapped Victorian sources - advertisements, valentines, and songs, as well as poetry and romances once widely read but now mostly forgotten - Anderson reveals the pervasiveness of the erotic in everyday Victorian life.

It was the stuff of popular fiction and poetry, the heart of fashion in clothing and underclothing, the driving force in courtship rituals, and even the central attraction of the ever-present Victorian parlor piano. Its traces remain in the pages of old romances, in the lyrics of music hall songs, and in once private diaries and love letters.