Well, it's a bit of a stretch, but
I guess you have to admit that books about sex have been published ever since
we started having books, so I guess this seemed like a no-brainer in 1766 in
the American colonies:
A Boston publisher brought out "Aristotle's
Complete Master-Piece," the 30th edition of a bestseller first sold
in London in 1684.
Never mind that the use of Aristotle's
name was simply marketing hype – there's nothing in the book from the Greek master.
Never mind that this "Treasure
of Health" was not a paragon of accuracy or medical common sense – it cautioned
that man and wife in flagrante delicto should not look at monsters, or hairy creatures,
or the like, for fear of begetting a monstrous child….
Never mind that the wood-cut illustrations
of the naked human form, and "those nobler parts" thereof, are not likely
to remind any sweaty, curious teenager of the visual fare available today in your
average Playboy issue….
Never mind that, even if you let your
mind wander, you can't imagine Francis Ford Coppola's great-great-great-great-great-great
grandfather buying the film rights to "Master-Piece" and turning out "Last Tango in Boston"....
Sex manuals are published because people
want to know about it, always have, always will.
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