Author: HANDS (The Most Eminent):
Title: The Altar of Love: Or, the Whole Art of Kissing In all its Varieties. Consisting of Poems, And other Miscellanies. By the most eminent Hands. Now first collected into a Volume. The Third Edition.
Description: London: Printed in the Year..., 1731. 8vo (in 4s), 190 x 118 mms., pp. [2] 3 - 32; [1] 2 - 40; [vi] [1] 2 - 32; [iv], v - vii [viii blank], 39 40 blank]; [iv[ v - viii, 39 [40 blank]; [iv], [1] 2 - 22; [viii] [1] 2 - 106 [107 -108 Contents]; [1] 2 - 16; [ii] 22, one full-page engraved plate, recently rebound in quarter calf, raised bands between gilt rules on spine, red morocco label, marbled boards; title-page soiled, a few other very small spots and stains, ex-library, with library stamp ("Free Public Library Wigan") in blind on title-page and library stamp on verso, but a clean text in a fine modern binding replicating an 18th century binding. A similar title was first published by "H. Curll," with different registration, and the edition statement is a nonsense for this nonce collection, whose contents seem to vary from copy to copy. The texts included here are The Art of Kissing; Popeana ("Advice before Marriage"); Jacob: The Rape of the Smock; Gay: The Hoop-Petticoat; The Patch; A Recipt for Soup [no title-page called for in collation[; Bury-Fair; William Bowman: Poems on Several Occasions; Addison: Oratio, An Oration in Defense of the New Philosophy; and An Apology for the Writings of Walter Moyle, being the last item, written by Curll, who was also the printer and publisher of this volume. It is not immediately clear what the last essay has to do with "the Whole Art of Kissing...." ESTC and other online resources, as well as Foxon, record a number of different configurations for the works included under the catch-all title (possibly one of Curll's many jokes), but so far as I can tell, not this one.

Keywords: poems kissing literature


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