The works of Aristotle the famous philosopher

516 pages, [8] leaves of plates : 13 cm False imprint. According to the British Book Trade Index online, there was was no John Smith printing at that address in 1779 Added engraved title page with color vignette and title: Medical knowledge, and imprint: London, for the booksellers Aristotle's Masterpiece, a manual of sex and pregnancy, first saw the light of day about 1680. It is not, of course, the work of the ancient Greek philosopher, but its true authorship is unclear: the name of William Salmon has been suggested. Other works by the same or other hands were accreted to the original "Masterpiece" until by about 1735 the four parts here published made up the canon. Banned in Britain until the 1960's, it nonetheless has had a long but mostly clandestine career as a quasi-pornographic book. Grubby copies were produced in back-street printers, sold in rubber-goods shops or Holywell Street, and passed from hand to hand until they disintegrated. Many young boys got their first inklings of sex from it. It was also sometimes given by their mothers to women about to get married; the effect it had on the mind of a virgin bride can only be conjectured. It has been read (or at any rate mentioned) by James Joyce, William Carleton, Evelyn Waugh, Anthony Burgess and many others, and probably has had more influence than is realized--http://www.exclassics.com/arist/ariintro.htm "Private looking-glass for the female sex", pages [95]-185, has separate caption title "The family physician being choice and approved remedies for several diseases incidental to human bodies", pages [186]-192, has separate caption title "The experienced midwife", pages 193-330, has separate caption title "Proper and safe remedies for curing all those distempers that are peculiar to the female sex, and especially those observations to bearing of children", page 331-370, has separate caption title "Aristotle's book of problems with other astromer, astrologers, and physicians concfrming [sic] the state of man's body", pages 371-473, has separate caption title "Displaying the secrets of nature relating to physiognomy", pages 474-516, has separate caption title Signatures: A⁶ B-F⁸ [G]⁸ H-T⁸ W⁸ X-2I⁸ 2K² Gift; 37001