http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A12737829
The Paris
Olympia Press - Art or Obscenity?
In the first half of the 20th Century it was relatively impossible to
have any book containing sexual content to be valued as 'literature',
or even to have it published. While it is of course true that
pornography and erotica were in as wide circulation then as they have
always been, the circulation of more graphic material was very much
under-the-counter and no reputable publisher would have got near it.
Works of erotic writing such as DH Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's
Lover,
because of their sexual content, were labelled as pornography and thus
would not be printed by any publisher save the pornographic presses.
The literary communities of both Europe and America
were beginning to push the boundaries that had previously been imposed
by society, but the 'establishment' of the government, publishers and
consumers was not yet prepared to push with them. [. . . ] [Includes
summary of Lolita's publication]