The 300-year-old sex manual for sale at the Melbourne Book Fair
For centuries, Aristotle's Master-Piece was reprinted in hundreds of editions, and in the 1930s it was still for sale in Soho sex shops. Aristotle didn't actually write it (his was just a respected name to put onto a scandalous work), but it's an amalgam of advice from two physicians, Levinus Lemnius and Jacob Ruff. In it, you could find out about many aspects of conception, pregnancy, birth and copulation.
It's racy stuff for its time. Pom Harrington, owner of UK booksellers Peter Harrington, one of the book fair's exhibitors, says the book recommends 'to cherish the Body with generous Restorative, to charm the Imagination with Musick, to drown all Cares in good Wine; that so the Mind being elevated to a pitch of Joy and Rapture, the sensual Appetite may be more freely encouraged to gratifie itself in the Delights of Nature'. There are frank descriptions of both male and female genitalia, in which the clitoris is identified as 'the seat of the greatest pleasure in Copulation' for women. And when both parties 'meet with an equal Ardour', there is a higher chance of procreation.
There's plenty to charm the imagination, and possibly produce joy and rapture, in the current Melbourne Rare Book Week, with its program of free events leading up to the fair's opening on July 31. You can learn about collecting Georgette Heyer's novels; illustrations to Jane Austen's books; the women who contributed their artistic skills to natural history and science; or have a taste of some of Mrs Beeton's iconic recipes. For children and the young at heart, there's a dive into Alice's rabbit hole or a trip into Moominland.
This year, Melbourne also hosts the trade's mecca event, the International League of Antiquarian Books Symposium. Officers past and present will speak at a session advising newcomers how to make a start in the rare book trade. And the symposium will discuss a range of issues for booksellers, including security concerns and the need to combat digital fraud.
One of Australia's great bibliophiles, John Willis, will talk about his collection of rare gay and lesbian works. Willis is a former retailer and an early gay activist. His collection comes from donations and also from his own diligent work in seeking out forgotten treasures in bookshops and market stalls.
A declaration of interest: I'll be talking to two prominent bookish women in separate events – Kay Craddock on 60 years of selling secondhand and antiquarian books and Lucy Sussex on the story of Mary Fortune, one of Australia's first crime writers.
At the fair you can pick up a few items for a song, but if you want to buy Harrington's rare copy of Aristotle's Master-Piece, it will set you back $36,600. Winifred and Francis Witham would not have paid so much for it in 1699. The couple had two sons, but Winifred died soon after, possibly in childbirth, and they might have consulted the book for help with a difficult pregnancy.
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The Advertiser
13 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Killer thriller takes you on a wild European ride
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That's because Julie is an assassin, and she's forced out of retirement when other professionals are sent to take her out. This leads to a massacre at a wedding in the village, and some very awkward conversations between the pair. Edward had no idea his mother was a trained killer and now he's got to go on the run with her. The duo are played by Freddie Highmore (The Good Doctor, Bates Motel) and Keeley Hawes (Bodyguard, Line of Duty), each straddling the line between drama and dark comedy. While Hawes owns the role and brings a great energy, Highmore seems a little out of his depth and never quite matches his co-star's tone. The six-episode series is a British-Australian co-production with action taking place all over Europe. There's conspiracies, blackmail, pursuits, you name it. But as the series progresses you find yourself increasingly wondering if The Assassin knows where it's going. It teases so many different story threads that you'd hope would have a solid payoff, but ultimately just fizzle out. By the time the finale rolls around, it seems that teenagers have taken over the writing tasks because this train goes completely off the rails. You might be tempted to finish the show just to solve the mysteries, but The Assassin is really not worth the trouble. That said, Aussie Devon Terrell (Totally Completely Fine) gives a spirited performance as the shallow, drug-taking son of an Aussie billionaire played by Alan Dale. Based on the novel by Esi Edugyan, Washington Black is a historical fiction series, following the titular George Washington Black across two timelines. In one, the young 'Wash' as he's known is a slave on a plantation in Barbados, looked after by another enslaved person with no knowledge of his birth family. The brother of the English slave-owner rolls into town in a fancy steam-powered vehicle - a shocking sight in the 1800s - and takes an interest in young Wash's astute mind. The pair end up setting out on an adventure together, but the dynamic is always awkward being that Wash is technically still owned by this man's family. The second timeline sees a now older Wash going by the name 'Jack Crawford' and living in Nova Scotia, Canada, in a city at the end of the famous Underground Railroad. He meets an English woman with mixed ancestry and is immediately taken with her, despite their differences in circumstances. The show is sprawling and beautifully costumed, but the reliance on CGI and weirdly juvenile storytelling is a drawback. In the grand tradition of RPA or 24 Hours in A&E, Netflix's Critical: Between Life and Death, takes viewers behind the scenes of series medical emergencies. Set in London, the docuseries focuses on significant trauma cases, and the paramedics, dispatchers, helicopter pilots, doctors, surgeons, nurses and coordinators who make these cases run as smoothly as possible. What's remarkable is how calmly and quietly these medical professionals go about their jobs - a far cry from the chaos people who religiously watched ER would come to expect from such occasions. The show also catches up with the people and their families involved in the accidents and incidents that led them to needing serious medical attention. There's plenty of documentary action to be found on your streaming services this week. On Stan you'll find The Accidental President, a fascinating feature documentary about the remarkable story of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who challenged the Belarusian dictator by running for president against him. 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That's because Julie is an assassin, and she's forced out of retirement when other professionals are sent to take her out. This leads to a massacre at a wedding in the village, and some very awkward conversations between the pair. Edward had no idea his mother was a trained killer and now he's got to go on the run with her. The duo are played by Freddie Highmore (The Good Doctor, Bates Motel) and Keeley Hawes (Bodyguard, Line of Duty), each straddling the line between drama and dark comedy. While Hawes owns the role and brings a great energy, Highmore seems a little out of his depth and never quite matches his co-star's tone. The six-episode series is a British-Australian co-production with action taking place all over Europe. There's conspiracies, blackmail, pursuits, you name it. But as the series progresses you find yourself increasingly wondering if The Assassin knows where it's going. It teases so many different story threads that you'd hope would have a solid payoff, but ultimately just fizzle out. By the time the finale rolls around, it seems that teenagers have taken over the writing tasks because this train goes completely off the rails. You might be tempted to finish the show just to solve the mysteries, but The Assassin is really not worth the trouble. That said, Aussie Devon Terrell (Totally Completely Fine) gives a spirited performance as the shallow, drug-taking son of an Aussie billionaire played by Alan Dale. Based on the novel by Esi Edugyan, Washington Black is a historical fiction series, following the titular George Washington Black across two timelines. In one, the young 'Wash' as he's known is a slave on a plantation in Barbados, looked after by another enslaved person with no knowledge of his birth family. The brother of the English slave-owner rolls into town in a fancy steam-powered vehicle - a shocking sight in the 1800s - and takes an interest in young Wash's astute mind. The pair end up setting out on an adventure together, but the dynamic is always awkward being that Wash is technically still owned by this man's family. The second timeline sees a now older Wash going by the name 'Jack Crawford' and living in Nova Scotia, Canada, in a city at the end of the famous Underground Railroad. He meets an English woman with mixed ancestry and is immediately taken with her, despite their differences in circumstances. The show is sprawling and beautifully costumed, but the reliance on CGI and weirdly juvenile storytelling is a drawback. In the grand tradition of RPA or 24 Hours in A&E, Netflix's Critical: Between Life and Death, takes viewers behind the scenes of series medical emergencies. Set in London, the docuseries focuses on significant trauma cases, and the paramedics, dispatchers, helicopter pilots, doctors, surgeons, nurses and coordinators who make these cases run as smoothly as possible. What's remarkable is how calmly and quietly these medical professionals go about their jobs - a far cry from the chaos people who religiously watched ER would come to expect from such occasions. The show also catches up with the people and their families involved in the accidents and incidents that led them to needing serious medical attention. There's plenty of documentary action to be found on your streaming services this week. On Stan you'll find The Accidental President, a fascinating feature documentary about the remarkable story of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who challenged the Belarusian dictator by running for president against him. Disney+ has a docuseries from producer Ryan Coogler (known for Black Panther, Sinners) called Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time, looking back at the devastating natural disaster of 2005 in New Orleans. Also on Disney+ is a true crime docuseries, Her Last Broadcast: The Abduction of Jodi Huisentruit. Over on Prime Video you'll find another season of docuseries Shiny Happy People, this time focusing on Teen Mania, an evangelical Christian youth organisation out of Texas. While Netflix has some happier documentary fare with Hitmakers, a series focusing on the songwriters and producers behind some of the world's biggest musical artists. There's also, of course, Netflix's huge film release of recent times: Happy Gilmore 2. When 30-year-old journalist Edward arrives on a small Greek island to spend some time with his distant mum Julie, he finds himself thrown into a world he never knew existed and ends up running for his life. That's because Julie is an assassin, and she's forced out of retirement when other professionals are sent to take her out. This leads to a massacre at a wedding in the village, and some very awkward conversations between the pair. Edward had no idea his mother was a trained killer and now he's got to go on the run with her. The duo are played by Freddie Highmore (The Good Doctor, Bates Motel) and Keeley Hawes (Bodyguard, Line of Duty), each straddling the line between drama and dark comedy. While Hawes owns the role and brings a great energy, Highmore seems a little out of his depth and never quite matches his co-star's tone. The six-episode series is a British-Australian co-production with action taking place all over Europe. There's conspiracies, blackmail, pursuits, you name it. But as the series progresses you find yourself increasingly wondering if The Assassin knows where it's going. It teases so many different story threads that you'd hope would have a solid payoff, but ultimately just fizzle out. By the time the finale rolls around, it seems that teenagers have taken over the writing tasks because this train goes completely off the rails. You might be tempted to finish the show just to solve the mysteries, but The Assassin is really not worth the trouble. That said, Aussie Devon Terrell (Totally Completely Fine) gives a spirited performance as the shallow, drug-taking son of an Aussie billionaire played by Alan Dale. Based on the novel by Esi Edugyan, Washington Black is a historical fiction series, following the titular George Washington Black across two timelines. In one, the young 'Wash' as he's known is a slave on a plantation in Barbados, looked after by another enslaved person with no knowledge of his birth family. The brother of the English slave-owner rolls into town in a fancy steam-powered vehicle - a shocking sight in the 1800s - and takes an interest in young Wash's astute mind. The pair end up setting out on an adventure together, but the dynamic is always awkward being that Wash is technically still owned by this man's family. The second timeline sees a now older Wash going by the name 'Jack Crawford' and living in Nova Scotia, Canada, in a city at the end of the famous Underground Railroad. He meets an English woman with mixed ancestry and is immediately taken with her, despite their differences in circumstances. The show is sprawling and beautifully costumed, but the reliance on CGI and weirdly juvenile storytelling is a drawback. In the grand tradition of RPA or 24 Hours in A&E, Netflix's Critical: Between Life and Death, takes viewers behind the scenes of series medical emergencies. Set in London, the docuseries focuses on significant trauma cases, and the paramedics, dispatchers, helicopter pilots, doctors, surgeons, nurses and coordinators who make these cases run as smoothly as possible. What's remarkable is how calmly and quietly these medical professionals go about their jobs - a far cry from the chaos people who religiously watched ER would come to expect from such occasions. The show also catches up with the people and their families involved in the accidents and incidents that led them to needing serious medical attention. There's plenty of documentary action to be found on your streaming services this week. On Stan you'll find The Accidental President, a fascinating feature documentary about the remarkable story of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who challenged the Belarusian dictator by running for president against him. Disney+ has a docuseries from producer Ryan Coogler (known for Black Panther, Sinners) called Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time, looking back at the devastating natural disaster of 2005 in New Orleans. Also on Disney+ is a true crime docuseries, Her Last Broadcast: The Abduction of Jodi Huisentruit. Over on Prime Video you'll find another season of docuseries Shiny Happy People, this time focusing on Teen Mania, an evangelical Christian youth organisation out of Texas. While Netflix has some happier documentary fare with Hitmakers, a series focusing on the songwriters and producers behind some of the world's biggest musical artists. There's also, of course, Netflix's huge film release of recent times: Happy Gilmore 2.
The Advertiser
21 hours ago
- The Advertiser
'Home of metal' gathers to farewell Ozzy Osbourne
The "home of metal" is gearing up to honour one of its most cherished sons. Thousands of Black Sabbath fans will pay their respects on Wednesday to frontman Ozzy Osbourne as his hearse makes its way through the streets of Birmingham, the English city where he grew up and where the band was formed in 1968. The hearse carrying Osbourne, who died last Tuesday at age 76, will make its way down the city's major thoroughfare of Broad Street to the Black Sabbath bench, which was unveiled on the Broad Street canal bridge in 2019. Family members are expected to watch the cortege, which will be accompanied by a live brass band. Since his death was announced, fans have made pilgrimages to sites around Birmingham, which has over the decades embraced its reputation as the birthplace of heavy metal. Among his peers, Osbourne was metal's godfather. "Ozzy was more than a music legend - he was a son of Birmingham," Lord Mayor Zafar Iqbal said, adding "we know how much this moment will mean to his fans". The main street closed to through traffic on Wednesday morning and will only reopen after the funeral finishes. Osbourne and his Black Sabbath band mates, Terence Butler, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward, were recently awarded the Freedom of the City in recognition of their services to Birmingham. The group has been widely credited with defining and popularising the sound of heavy metal. Osbourne was the band's frontman during its peak period in the 1970s and was widely known as the "Prince of Darkness". His antics, on and off stage, were legendary, and often fuelled by copious amounts of drinks and drugs. Sabbath's story began in Birmingham in 1968 when the four original members were looking to escape a life of factory work. Their eponymous debut album in 1970 made the UK top 10 and paved the way for a string of hit albums, including 1971's Master of Reality and Vol. 4 a year later. They went on to become one of the most influential and successful metal bands ever, selling more than 75 million albums worldwide. At their final show on July 5, 42,000 fans watched the band perform for the first time in 20 years at Villa Park, home of the city's biggest football club Aston Villa, with Osbourne seated on a black throne. Osbourne had been in poor health in recent years, especially after he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2019. Osbourne, who also had a successful solo career, found a new legion of fans in the early 2000s reality show The Osbournes in which he starred alongside his wife Sharon and two youngest children, Kelly and Jack. The "home of metal" is gearing up to honour one of its most cherished sons. Thousands of Black Sabbath fans will pay their respects on Wednesday to frontman Ozzy Osbourne as his hearse makes its way through the streets of Birmingham, the English city where he grew up and where the band was formed in 1968. The hearse carrying Osbourne, who died last Tuesday at age 76, will make its way down the city's major thoroughfare of Broad Street to the Black Sabbath bench, which was unveiled on the Broad Street canal bridge in 2019. Family members are expected to watch the cortege, which will be accompanied by a live brass band. Since his death was announced, fans have made pilgrimages to sites around Birmingham, which has over the decades embraced its reputation as the birthplace of heavy metal. Among his peers, Osbourne was metal's godfather. "Ozzy was more than a music legend - he was a son of Birmingham," Lord Mayor Zafar Iqbal said, adding "we know how much this moment will mean to his fans". The main street closed to through traffic on Wednesday morning and will only reopen after the funeral finishes. Osbourne and his Black Sabbath band mates, Terence Butler, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward, were recently awarded the Freedom of the City in recognition of their services to Birmingham. The group has been widely credited with defining and popularising the sound of heavy metal. Osbourne was the band's frontman during its peak period in the 1970s and was widely known as the "Prince of Darkness". His antics, on and off stage, were legendary, and often fuelled by copious amounts of drinks and drugs. Sabbath's story began in Birmingham in 1968 when the four original members were looking to escape a life of factory work. Their eponymous debut album in 1970 made the UK top 10 and paved the way for a string of hit albums, including 1971's Master of Reality and Vol. 4 a year later. They went on to become one of the most influential and successful metal bands ever, selling more than 75 million albums worldwide. At their final show on July 5, 42,000 fans watched the band perform for the first time in 20 years at Villa Park, home of the city's biggest football club Aston Villa, with Osbourne seated on a black throne. Osbourne had been in poor health in recent years, especially after he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2019. Osbourne, who also had a successful solo career, found a new legion of fans in the early 2000s reality show The Osbournes in which he starred alongside his wife Sharon and two youngest children, Kelly and Jack. The "home of metal" is gearing up to honour one of its most cherished sons. Thousands of Black Sabbath fans will pay their respects on Wednesday to frontman Ozzy Osbourne as his hearse makes its way through the streets of Birmingham, the English city where he grew up and where the band was formed in 1968. The hearse carrying Osbourne, who died last Tuesday at age 76, will make its way down the city's major thoroughfare of Broad Street to the Black Sabbath bench, which was unveiled on the Broad Street canal bridge in 2019. Family members are expected to watch the cortege, which will be accompanied by a live brass band. Since his death was announced, fans have made pilgrimages to sites around Birmingham, which has over the decades embraced its reputation as the birthplace of heavy metal. Among his peers, Osbourne was metal's godfather. "Ozzy was more than a music legend - he was a son of Birmingham," Lord Mayor Zafar Iqbal said, adding "we know how much this moment will mean to his fans". The main street closed to through traffic on Wednesday morning and will only reopen after the funeral finishes. Osbourne and his Black Sabbath band mates, Terence Butler, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward, were recently awarded the Freedom of the City in recognition of their services to Birmingham. The group has been widely credited with defining and popularising the sound of heavy metal. Osbourne was the band's frontman during its peak period in the 1970s and was widely known as the "Prince of Darkness". His antics, on and off stage, were legendary, and often fuelled by copious amounts of drinks and drugs. Sabbath's story began in Birmingham in 1968 when the four original members were looking to escape a life of factory work. Their eponymous debut album in 1970 made the UK top 10 and paved the way for a string of hit albums, including 1971's Master of Reality and Vol. 4 a year later. They went on to become one of the most influential and successful metal bands ever, selling more than 75 million albums worldwide. At their final show on July 5, 42,000 fans watched the band perform for the first time in 20 years at Villa Park, home of the city's biggest football club Aston Villa, with Osbourne seated on a black throne. Osbourne had been in poor health in recent years, especially after he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2019. Osbourne, who also had a successful solo career, found a new legion of fans in the early 2000s reality show The Osbournes in which he starred alongside his wife Sharon and two youngest children, Kelly and Jack. The "home of metal" is gearing up to honour one of its most cherished sons. Thousands of Black Sabbath fans will pay their respects on Wednesday to frontman Ozzy Osbourne as his hearse makes its way through the streets of Birmingham, the English city where he grew up and where the band was formed in 1968. The hearse carrying Osbourne, who died last Tuesday at age 76, will make its way down the city's major thoroughfare of Broad Street to the Black Sabbath bench, which was unveiled on the Broad Street canal bridge in 2019. Family members are expected to watch the cortege, which will be accompanied by a live brass band. Since his death was announced, fans have made pilgrimages to sites around Birmingham, which has over the decades embraced its reputation as the birthplace of heavy metal. Among his peers, Osbourne was metal's godfather. "Ozzy was more than a music legend - he was a son of Birmingham," Lord Mayor Zafar Iqbal said, adding "we know how much this moment will mean to his fans". The main street closed to through traffic on Wednesday morning and will only reopen after the funeral finishes. Osbourne and his Black Sabbath band mates, Terence Butler, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward, were recently awarded the Freedom of the City in recognition of their services to Birmingham. The group has been widely credited with defining and popularising the sound of heavy metal. Osbourne was the band's frontman during its peak period in the 1970s and was widely known as the "Prince of Darkness". His antics, on and off stage, were legendary, and often fuelled by copious amounts of drinks and drugs. Sabbath's story began in Birmingham in 1968 when the four original members were looking to escape a life of factory work. Their eponymous debut album in 1970 made the UK top 10 and paved the way for a string of hit albums, including 1971's Master of Reality and Vol. 4 a year later. They went on to become one of the most influential and successful metal bands ever, selling more than 75 million albums worldwide. At their final show on July 5, 42,000 fans watched the band perform for the first time in 20 years at Villa Park, home of the city's biggest football club Aston Villa, with Osbourne seated on a black throne. Osbourne had been in poor health in recent years, especially after he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2019. Osbourne, who also had a successful solo career, found a new legion of fans in the early 2000s reality show The Osbournes in which he starred alongside his wife Sharon and two youngest children, Kelly and Jack.
Sydney Morning Herald
21 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
This ‘exquisitely simple' TV show is the perfect antidote to these frantic times
In Shinjuku, Tokyo, a tiny 12-seat diner opens at midnight and closes at 7am. The proprietor, known to all only as 'Master', has a handwritten menu on the wall with only four items: pork miso soup, beer, sake and shochu. But he'll make you whatever you want, as long as he has the ingredients and it's not so complex as to be beyond his skills. Every night, he serves up what is requested, and 25 minutes later, you're filled with a strange and beautiful new perspective on life and most likely in tears. This is Midnight Diner, a Japanese Netflix show that, like the Master's irresistible dishes, is possessed of an exquisite simplicity that brings feelings bubbling up like simmering sauce with a minimum of fuss or action – a stillness and serenity that is almost startling to those of us used to the frantic flailing of stories told by Western filmmakers. It is about food, in a very deep sense, and about life, in an equally deep sense, and it strongly pushes the philosophy that the two are indivisible. There is magic in the air at the Midnight Diner: there is always just the faintest hint that something might be going on beyond our ken.
