HARPER - The Gay Pillow Book

San Francisco, CA, U.S.A., HarperSanFrancisco, 1995. First Edition, Binding: Softcover, Fine/Very Good./fine. 24mo - over 5" - 5¾" tall 0062511688 Hardback Pillow Books have long been a traditional gift exchanged between lovers: they take their name from the lacquered wooden 'pillows' of Japan in which these conveniently small works of erotic instruction and amusement were usually kept. The first 'pillow book' to bear that evocative title was written by a Japanese noblewoman early in the fourteenth century, but erotic gift books have been enjoyed by lovers in China and India from the very earliest times. The Gay Pillow Book is a celebration of homosexual love and passion as depicted in literature and art from ancient to modern times and spanning East and West. The extracts of poety and prose - some moving, others lighthearted and amusing - are complemented by delightful full-colour illustrations, including painting, sculpture, and mosaics.