JF Ptak Science Books Quick Post [Part of the Daily Dose from Dr. Odd series]
Just two days ago there appeared in this blog a bit on an image I had never seen before--dogs acting as biological book reviewers, doing with books one of the things dogs do best. And then, this, ("Kudgello collecting materials to improve our morals") printed around 1766 and another scatological review of books, this based on morals and highly scented books of a sexual nature, all seemingly removed with fire tongs from the wastebucket of an outdoor privy.
{Source: the Library of Congress]
The books on the floor, the rescued books, include Dialogue ... Married Lady ... A Maid, Aretine (Mansfield, William Murray, Earl of, 1705-1793), Sodom, a play, and Memoirs of a woman of pleasure (Cleland, John, 1709-1789)
The verse at bottom includes: "Thou Grub street author, fit for Bawds to quote / If Bawds themselves with Honor safe may do't / Disgrace to libels! Foil to very shame / Whom 'tis a Scandal to vouchsafe to name." Also: "M. Midnight * her mark ; Publish'd as the Act directs, Price 6d."
Of course the principal interest here is what the semi-smug Kudgello is hoisting from the pit, Essay on Woman, which was written by Thomas Potter in about 1755 with the assistance of John Wilkes This was a take-off of Alexander Pope's Essay on Man, though without the intelligence, art, insight or writing ability. I've included this image in the blog because it is so unexpected--and that it comes fast on the heals of a similarly-unexpected scatological book review found only 48 hours earlier.
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