This novel is included as an example of the manner in which some sort of queer writing was created and distributed, without the strident sincerity of Radclyffe Hall or the libidinous energy of Djuna Barnes. Humphrey Lancaster wrote several novels for The Fortune Press, which published poetry and classics but also material bordering on pornography, with a distinct preference for flagellation and bondage. The press also had an unusual tolerance of queer content, anecdotally indicated by yellow dust wrappers; this tale of a Roman slave features at least one recognisably queer character, and much threat of corporal punishment.