Writers have previously placed the action of kissing into categories kisses oflove affection peace respect and friendship. Each of the essays in thisfascinating... » 

Writers have previously placed the action of kissing into categories kisses oflove affection peace respect and friendship. Each of the essays in thisfascinating book takes a single kind of kiss and uses it as an index to thepast. For rather than offering a simple history of the kiss this book is aboutthe kiss in history. In this collection an eminent group of culturalhistorians explore the kiss through sources as diverse as religious textspopular prints court depositions periodicals diaries and poetry. Thiscollection shows that by analyzing the kiss and its positionembedded as it isas part of our culturehistory can use small gestures to take us to big issuesconcerning ourselves and others the past and the present. «