A 300-year-old sex manual, once banned for its shocking content, has sold for £3,100 at auction—30 times its estimated value. The 1720 book, titled Aristotle's Masterpiece Completed In Two Parts, The First Containing the Secrets of Generation, contains a range of bizarre advice.
Bids came from across the world, but the winning bid was placed in the saleroom at Hansons auction house in Derbyshire. The new owner, who wished to remain anonymous, said they were drawn to the tome's focus on pre-modern medicine.
Some of the more peculiar tips within the manual include warnings against lying with beasts to avoid giving birth to monsters, and advice that women should 'earnestly look upon the man and fix her mind upon him' during sex to ensure the child resembles its father. For those wanting a girl, the book advises the mother to lie on her left after sex; for a boy, on her right. It also cautions men not to 'part too soon from the embraces of his wife'.
Auctioneer Jim Spencer said: 'It's gone crazy. The impact of the sale of this book has been phenomenal. I started receiving emails every few minutes from people interested in buying the book, including sex therapists.'
The anonymous buyer added: 'I wanted to buy this book because it's about pre-modern medicine and it's European. It's about herbalism and the natural world mixed with medicine. It's also a piece of art featuring woodcut illustrations.'
